We Might Fall
by Cloudyskiesahead
Summary: As Damon was about to plunge his fangs into the tender flesh of the gorgeous blonde, it was then Damon felt her swollen abdomen pressing against his stomach. Damon closed his eyes, focusing on the heartbeats that were coming from Dawn... One was her own, but the other…. "Please." Dawn murmured, her hands shielding her belly as Damon gently cupped her face. "You'll forget this."
1. o n e

**Pilot 1X01**

 **Dawn Ellis played by Dianna Agron**

Weaving through the crowded corridors of Mystic Falls' only high school, Bonnie Bennett and Elena Gilbert carefully avoided crashing into their fellow pupils as the sound of low murmurings echoed throughout the halls. The two slender juniors giggled as they caught up on the summer gossip that was currently radiating around the small school.

It had been a rather depressing summer for Elena Gilbert, which was expected. Reluctantly, Elena was finally coming to terms with her parents' death. And although it was hard, Elena was trying. But even so, the doppelgänger was grateful that she still had her aunt Jenna and her younger brother: Jeremey.

Glancing around the lean halls, a tender smile graced Elena's lips as a rush of relief pulsed through her veins. Unlike most of the population, Elena Gilbert was glad to be back at school. Being back in school meant that Elena no longer had the excuse to hide away, instead the doppelgänger would be forced to indulge in social activities.

Swaying her head from side to side, Bonnie's rosy lips curled into a repulsed frown as she edged closer to Elena.

Moving her lips to Elena's ear, Bonnie's lips parted, allowing untrue rumours to freely drip from her mouth. "I heard Dawn Ellis doesn't know who the father is." Bonnie informed her best friend, her tone hushed and secretive as the brunette checked Dawn wasn't in sight.

With widened glossy eyes, Elena's jaw dropped in surprise. Everyone in the small high school knew who Dawn Ellis was.

Dawn Ellis was a perky, rather pretty blonde junior who was currently thirteen weeks pregnant. The girl who spent most her time with Caroline Forbes or in the library, was the daughter of the town's pastor: Gabriel Ellis.

Elena had never been too keen on Pastor Gabriel Ellis. Something about him seemed... Off. The seemingly friendly pastor had been outraged by the annunciation of Dawn's pregnancy. Gabriel had kicked Dawn out of the family's two story home, which was ironically positioned besides the church. Matt had conveniently been driving past the Ellis household when he noticed an enraged Shelia Ellis hurling Dawn's possessions out of a ground floor window. Matt had immediately pulled over and tried to help the highly emotional teen, however Dawn had become so flustered she ran away from Matt while carrying a pair of old, mismatched converse in her arms...

The blond football player had been unsure of what to do, so he did the only thing he could: he called Caroline.

Caroline knew Dawn better than Dawn knew herself. So instantly, Caroline knew where Dawn would be. Dawn would be in her favourite place: the book shop. Caroline would often find her in the quiet book shop, reading long- rather boring, in Caroline's opinion- books.

Anyone who knew Dawn knew the girl loved reading more than life itself. Dawn loved nothing more than indulging herself in a good classic book. And although Dawn loved the classics such as Charles Dickins or Charlotte Brontë, Dawn also quite enjoyed more modern books, such as G.R.R Martin or JK Rowling. To say Dawn's tastes were random and unrestricted would have been appropriate.

Mystic Falls' 'it girl' had found poor Dawnie in the bookshop, sobbing violently as Miss Robins, the owner, comforted Dawn and gave her a steaming cup of tea.

The cheerleader had instantly embraced her best friend upon setting eyes on her. Although Caroline had found a positive pregnancy test in her bathroom after Dawn's… Incident. Caroline had been open minded about the test. Just because one pregnancy test was positive didn't mean Dawn was pregnant, it could have just been a faulty test.

But just by the pure trauma on Dawn's face, Caroline knew her best friend was pregnant. It explained everything…

After reassuring a worried Miss Robins that Dawn would be okay, Caroline took an exhausted Dawn back to her own house.

Once Caroline had settled Dawn in her bed, the blonde headed into the kitchen only to find a confused Elizabeth Forbes. After Caroline explained to her mother what had happened, Liz had immediately offered Dawn a place for her and her child to stay. However, Dawn knew her stay wasn't a permanent residence.

Sherriff Elizabeth Forbes had truly felt for the girl who was like a daughter to her and had been best friends with Caroline since kindergarten.

Although Liz didn't particularly like Dawn's father, who was a member of the private council and aware of vampires, Liz had never thought the man would have kicked his own daughter out.

But then again, Liz had never been a fan of Shelia Ellis or her son, Abraham. Dawn's father and stepmother were overly religious to the point that they shoved religion down the towns throat. While Dawn also had a golden boy, older step-brother who couldn't do anything wrong in the eyes of his mother and step-father.

Everyone had been surprised by the pregnancy. Dawn was a sweet girl and had been the least expected to get pregnant. Especially while considering the fact that Dawn's own mother died, due to complications after birth.

The daughter of the local pastor was a pale, blonde girl with skin like clean and polished bone. Dawn's hair was a blonde that radiated like a candle flame and was styled in a short, wavy bob, while Dawn's facial features were delicate.

Dawnie's eyes were liquid gold in colour and surrounded by long lashes that could only be compared to strands of liquorice. The lengthy lashes looked dark as coal against Dawn's fair skin.

Although Dawn wasn't very tall, the blonde weighed little and was reasonably athletic. As much as she resented it, Dawn had a birth mark on her chest, under her left breast. Caroline though had always thought the birth mark was cute.

Dawn truly possessed the sort of beauty that maddened the soul like wine. But even so, Dawn was painfully shy and awkward.

Frowning, Elena wrinkled her nose in disgust.

Apparently Dawn had slept with most men, including the teachers, in the school and wasn't sure who the father of the baby was. Shaking her head, the Petrova doppelgänger frowned.

"I bet its Tyler Lockwood..." Elena admitted as Bonnie nodded in agreement. Tyler Lockwood had a habit of sleeping with a _lot_ of girls!

"Maybe... I still can't believe Caroline is best friends with her..." Bonnie replied, shaking her head as the two girls continued to judge pregnant Dawn.

"Yeah..." Elena trailed off but paused when she noticed Dawn herself, walking through the halls. Elena immediately assumed that Dawn was heading to the library.

The blonde was wearing a caramel skater dress. The open scoop neckline, empire seam, raglan sleeves and gently flared skirt created a feminine silhouette perfect for Dawn's hourglass figure. And although Dawn was only 13 weeks into her pregnancy, her belly had a small yet noticeable bump.

Due to the fact Dawn had been a tiny size six before getting pregnant, Dawn old clothing, most of which was currently still at her father's house, wouldn't fit.

But Dawn still didn't feel comfortable buying maternity clothing, so Dawn had gotten larger sizes in most clothing. However, Dawn did purchase a couple of pairs of comfy maternity jeans.

With her caramel dress, Dawn was wearing a golden cross necklace, a white knit cardigan and a pair of tan leather, wedged boots.

However, neither Elena or Bonnie could see Dawn's stomach, due to the thick, hardback books that were currently shielding the foetus from prying eyes.

Turning away from the blonde, Elena noticed Matt at his locker. Giving him a small smile, Elena waved at the blond football player. But the doppelgänger was met by her ex-boyfriend slamming his locker and walking away.

Glancing back at Bonnie, Elena frowned. "He hates me."

Bonnie bit her lip and attempted to comfort her best friend. "That's not hate. That's ' _you dumped me, but I'm too cool to show it, but secretly I'm listening to Air Supply's greatest hits_.'..." Bonnie replied, trying to crack a smile out of Elena, however Bonnie failed in that department. Elena's lips were still printed into a guilty frown.

Before Elena could reply, the bubbly blonde known as Caroline Forbes, flounced up to them, swaying her small hips as she strutted through the halls.

"Elena. Oh, my god." Elena's air supply was cut off by Caroline's restricting grip.

Pulling away from the hug, Caroline's bright orbs flickered between Bonnie and Elena. "How are you? Oh, it's so good to see you. How is she? Is she good?" Caroline chirped, a hyperactive smile on her face as she stood in front of her two close friends.

Bonnie stifled a laugh as Elena gave Caroline a small, reserved smile. "Caroline, I'm right here. And I'm fine. Thank you."

"Really?"

Elena gave the girl an unconvincing smile. "Yes. Much better."

"Oh, you poor thing." Caroline cooed, pulling Elena into another tight hug as Elena's words came out in a choked, quiet rhythm. "Okay, Caroline."

Returning to her previous stance, Caroline glanced between the two. "Have you seen Dawnie? I got distracted by talking to the cheer squad about Sadie Harrison's new disaster hairstyle and then she fled!" Caroline exclaimed, her eyebrows raising while her hands wailed in the air as Bonnie chuckled lowly.

"I think she was going to the library." Elena informed Caroline as the blonde nodded.

"Oh! Okay, see you guys later?"

"Okay! Bye!" Bonnie said, as the perky blonde nodded before fleeing down the halls, assumingly searching for Dawn. Shaking her head, Elena turned to Bonnie. "No comment."

"I'm not going to say anything."

 **...**

Clutching the hardback books to her bump, Dawn kept her hazel eyes down as she ignored the vicious rumours and repugnant stares she received as she walked towards her first class of the day: history. Usually, Dawn loved to learn about the past but sadly, Tanner was her teacher. In a mere thirteen weeks, things had changed big time.

Before the annunciation of her pregnancy, Tanner had been relatively kind to Dawn. However, when Dawn found out she was pregnant, her attendance and grades began dropping frantically due to stress, and her father kicking her out just added a larger reason for Tanner to dislike her. Believe it or not, no one wanted to get on the wrong side of the town's only pastor. Stupid, right?

A large majority of the teachers at Mystic High had always been kind to Dawn throughout her academic involvement. But this was because the blondes head was constantly down, her grades were constantly high, her attendance was spotless.

It was rather ironic that before becoming pregnant, Dawn received the 'honourable student' award which was obviously voted for within the teaching staff. Every year the teachers would hand out awards for each grade and Dawn would constantly win the minority of the awards, which was the most embarrassing thing ever.

However due to her dropping grades and spotty attendance, Dawn was pretty sure she wouldn't win the award this year... Which wasn't really a bad thing.

Due to the behaviour of the teachers, Dawn noticed that the teachers were becoming frustrated and raged by Dawn's low effort. It also didn't help that Dawn was constantly late to class, her grades were slipping below the passing line, her attendance was low, she constantly needed to pee and she usually fell asleep at least twice in class due to her lack of sleep.

And even though Tanner did everything he could to make Dawn's life hell, he wasn't the teacher that disliked her the most. Dawn's geography teacher, Mrs Bird, absolutely despised Dawn.

Dawn had expected that the woman who was close to retirement, didn't like her due to the fact she was pregnant. The teacher wasn't able to have kids and wasn't allowed to adopt due to some health condition her husband had. And even though the woman was horrible to Dawn, the pregnant girl felt bad for the woman.

Dawnie was cut of her thoughts by the sound of gossiping students.

" _She doesn't know who the father is..."_

 _"I heard she slept with the entire population of the school."_

Frowning, Dawn ignored the fake and cruel rumours. Of course Dawn knew who the father of her child was, as she had only had intercourse once.

Dawn was cut out of her thoughts by crashing into a firm, muscular body.

"I'm so sorry." Dawnie murmured as she looked up to find a handsome, muscular man.

The boy Dawn had clumsily bumped into was classically handsome, with a brooding, mysterious and intense aura. The stranger had a tanned complexion, a broad forehead, an angular jawline, deep-set, forest green eyes, a straight nose and a well-formed mouth. The strangers straight, short, dark blonde hair was handsomely gelled.

Dawn tried not to blush at the sight of him.

"It's fine."

With that reply, Dawn quickly scuttled away before the mysterious man could ask her name or introduce himself. And anyway, why would he? Who wanted to be friends with a knocked up, highly religious, preacher's daughter who had been kicked out her father's home and was sponging of her best friend and her best friend mother...

 **...**

As Caroline surveyed the slender corridors for her timid best friend with impatient eyes, the blonde couldn't help but ponder where Dawn was. Caroline had reluctantly checked the library, only to find that Dawn wasn't in there. Caroline had sacrificed her dignity and entered the deep depths of hell. Okay, maybe the library wasn't _that_ bad, but Caroline still didn't like the place. The small library where Dawn spent the majority of her school day, was filthy, stale and smelt like death.

Scowling, Caroline paused and looked around in confusion. Where was Dawnie?

Caroline wasn't foolish. Over a year period, Caroline had noticed the dramatic change in Dawn. At first the changes were subtle, such as the way Dawn began to socially isolate herself.

Although Dawn had never been the most social individual, Dawn began avoiding Caroline, work and even church. But that wasn't the only weird thing, Dawn also seemed more down. Also, Dawn practically avoided any type of physical contact with Caroline any more. At first, Caroline had been worried and confronted her mother. Although Dawn only had Caroline as a friend, Dawn used to speak to people while in the halls, uttering the odd hello to the other outcasts, however now Dawn didn't speak to a soul other than Caroline. But soon enough, Caroline had put it down to Dawn's pregnancy

Perhaps Dawn had been seeing some guy, which would explain her down moods. Maybe Dawn had been having an on-and-off relationship with a mystery guy. Caroline wasn't sure, but if Dawn didn't want to talk about it then Caroline wouldn't pry. Despite as much as she wanted to, Caroline wouldn't push Dawn.

 **…**

Sat in her history class, Dawn sat at the back of the room, tapping her pen on the timber table as she tried and failed to concentrate on Tanner's speech. Sighing, Dawn raked a hand through her short blonde bob and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

Dawn was emotionally and physically exhausted. Last night Dawn had a late shift at the Grill and she had another one that night.

Although Liz objected to it, Dawn tried to give as much money as she could to Liz. The blonde officer was doing her a huge favour. Liz Forbes was allowing Dawn to live with a roof over her head and provided food on the table. Elizabeth Forbes was the mother Dawn never had.

But Dawn didn't give all of her tips and salary to Liz, she saved some so she could one day get an apartment of her own.

Sighing, Dawn glanced at Tanner and continued to fight off the temptation of sleeping.

"Once our home state of Virginia joined confederacy in 1861, it created a tremendous amount of tension within the state. People in Virginia's northwest region had different ideals than those from the traditional deep south. Then Virginia divided in 1863 with the northwest region joining the union." Tanner babbled on as Dawn yawned.

How could a man be so boring?!

Looking back at her notepad which had multiple doodles of hearts and faces on, Dawn stiffened when she noticed from the corner of her eye that the boy from earlier looking at her, but Stefan wasn't looking at her, no, he was looking at her stomach.

Although the room was full of dozens of healthy heartbeats, Stefan didn't miss the faint one coming from the blonde's stomach.

Tensing, Dawn looked away self-consciously as Stefan frowned guiltily.

 **...**

Running her fingers across the grave stone of her mother, Dawn took a seat on the dry soil, not bothering that her dress would get dirty. Dirt would wash out and this was a way that Dawn was able to feel close to her mother. Perhaps it was the calming nature around her, but Dawn enjoyed visiting her mother. Unlike most teens, Dawn found the graveyard peaceful and respectable, most people found graveyards creepy, which Dawn would never understand.

Almost automatically, Dawnie's hands found their way to her stomach as she gazed at the cross shaped grave.

 _'Here lies Joanna Ellis. Mother, Wife and child of God.'_

Tucking a loose, short strand behind her ear, Dawn shook her head. "Hi, mama." Dawn murmured.

Unlike most people, Dawn had always felt it was more difficult talking to the living rather than the dead. The dead didn't reply, they wouldn't say cruel things. But people? People were unpredictable. Even God's so called 'children' were unpredictable.

And it also didn't help that Dawn was quiet, reserved and shy, meaning she was the complete opposite of her best friend: Caroline.

Everyone in Mystic High knew who Caroline Forbes was. Dawn's best friend was one of the popular girls at school, the captain of the cheerleading squad and the girl who constantly organised school events and parties.

Beautiful and chic, Dawn's best friend was strong, determined, and much like her mother, Sheriff Elizabeth Forbes. However, despite having a confident exterior and high social prestige, Dawn knew her best friend was very insecure, neurotic and sensitive.

Caroline was beautiful with a pale complexion, big blue-green eyes and medium length blonde hair which she often wore in a variety of different styles. If Dawn tried to style her hair other than curling or French braiding, it would look like hurricane Katrina had swallowed her hair whole.

The perky yet insecure blonde has a slim, toned and athletic figure due to her cheerleading and was rather tall standing at 5'8.

In all honesty, Dawn would have done anything to trade her dull, limp honey blonde hair for Caroline's bouncy, mid-length platinum locks or Caroline's vast, vibrant blue-green orbs for Dawn's boring, hazel ones.

"Today was the first day of school." Dawn admitted, her hands still on her stomach as she closed her eyes, blocking the world out as she focused on her mother.

"Liz has taken me in ever since dad kicked me out. I tried to tell him what happened. What _he_ did. But he didn't believe me, neither did Shelia. No one did." Dawn murmured bitterly, her eyes watering as she gingerly wiped her tears away with the sleeve of her jumper.

"They preach so hard about God, the truth and forgiveness but they didn't believe me. They just kicked me out..." Dawnie continued, rubbing her stomach gently without even realizing it.

"Sometimes... I doubt the existence of God... If God is real, why is the world full of so much suffering and injustice? Why do the good hit rock bottom while the selfish go sky high? I asked dad once... He told me God has a funny way of showing things. But I think that's an excuse..." Dawn trailed off, moving one hand off her small yet visible bump so she could rub the hard grave. Dawn's hazel eyes blinked open as she let out a sigh.

"But enough of the anti-preaching... Liz has been so good and so has Caroline. But I haven't told them who the father is. Only Caroline has asked but I told her I'd rather not talk about it. Everyone thinks I'm a... Excuse my language, mama... A slut. But I'm not. I'm sorry if your disappointed in me, mama." Dawn murmured, her hazel eyes tearing up as she let the tears course down her cheeks and drip into the soil.

But as she did this, Dawn's eyes widened when a white rose bloomed before her eyes.

Glancing up at the sky, Dawn let out a shaky breath. "Maybe you are real..." Dawn murmured, looking back at the rose as she ran her fingers across the smooth flesh of the petals.

 _Caw Caw!_

Jumping, Dawn eyed the large black crow which was currently parked on Dawn's mothers grave. As the crow's blue eyes glared into hers, Dawn smiled and pulled her lunch box out of her bag.

As the crow gingerly eyed her movements, Dawn opened the plastic box and took out the cheese sandwich. Breaking little bits off, Dawn held the crumbs in her palms.

"Here little fella." Dawn cooed, nodding as she encouraged the crow to take the food from her palm. With quick movements, the dark crow darted forward and greedily dug into the crumbs that were currently in the palm of Dawn's hand.

As the crow gulped down the crumbs, Dawn ever so slowly moved her thumb so she could caress the birds head. However, as she did so, the bird jumped but quickly relaxed under her touch. Dawn smiled as the bird let out a strange sound, it sounded like a… Purr? Could birds purr?

Crumbling more bits off the cheese sandwich, Dawn giggled as the crow eagerly ate the bread. "I'm not sure if crows are supposed to eat cheese sandwiches..." Dawn trailed off as the bird continued to eat from Dawn's palm.

"But I'm sure you'll be fine... You're really enjoying that aren't you?" Dawn smiled, caressing the bird's silky feathers as the bird continued greedily peck up the crumbs before demanding more.

Putting more crumbs in her palm, Dawn smiled. "Liz made this for me... But my appetite isn't very high..." Dawn admitted.

Most people ate when they were depressed, stressed or anxious, however Dawn had a habit of avoiding food. But that wasn't the only reason Dawn wasn't eating much, before she had found out she was pregnant, Dawn had been a size 6. But now Dawn had a small rounding belly where her bump was growing, along with stretch marks and bigger thighs. Dawn was also hiding the fact she wasn't eating much as she knew Liz and Caroline wouldn't be happy.

As soon as the words left Dawn's mouth, the crow flew away leaving Dawn alone. Stuffing her lunchbox back in her bag, Dawn zipped the bag up and threw it over her shoulder.

"Rude." Dawn mumbled, her words playful.

Furrowing her eyebrows together, Dawn glanced at the fog that was arising around her. Jumping up, Dawn caught sight of a stiletto stood behind a tomb. As a feeling of dread overtook her, Dawn jumped up, grabbing her bag in the process.

However, due to Dawn's clumsiness, she immediately fell to the ground. As soon as she was about to land on her stomach, Dawn sighed in relief as a figure caught her and pulled her to her feet. Before Stefan could even speak, Dawn yanked herself out of his grip, her figure tense as she trembled ever so slightly. The tremble was barely noticeable, but Stefan still saw it.

As she paled, Dawn timidly glanced at the boy from earlier as her hands automatically landed on her stomach. Although Dawn hadn't been expecting to get pregnant, she was planning on keeping and caring for her child. Her step-mother Shelia, despite Shelia's Christian beliefs, suggested an abortion, which had outraged Dawn. However, when Dawn told her father about Shelia's suggestion, he didn't believe her.

But that wasn't surprising, no one ever believed Dawn.

"T-Thank you..." Dawn mumbled uncomfortably as Stefan gave her a small, supportive smile.

Although Dawn had bumped into the lean boy in the halls, Dawn hadn't noticed the aura around him. He seemed… Unnatural. Dawn hadn't noticed his strange aura in the halls earlier.

Ever since she was a child, Dawn had always been good at reading people. She saw things that others didn't, and not in a wallflower way. Dawn felt people's auras. As weird as that was.

"You okay?" Stefan asked, concerned as the girl nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"W-Were you following me?" Dawn asked, remembering the figure as Stefan's eyebrows furrowed together.

"No, I-a, uh, I-a just — I saw you fall." Stefan replied, slightly confused as Dawn flustered red. "I-I'm sorry, I just thought I saw someone." Dawn admitted, blushing as she regretted jumping to the conclusion of Stefan following her.

"I-I'm so sorry: it's the fog, its, uh, making me foggy. S-Sorry, I'm Dawn." Dawn murmured nervously, her fingers twitching anxiously as Stefan smiled.

"I'm Stefan."

"I think we, uh, have History together, right?" Dawn asked shyly, her posture tense as Stefan gave her a nod.

"And English and French." Stefan said, giving Dawn a smile as she nodded awkwardly and avoided eye contact. "Right. I have a tendency to daydream in class..." Dawn admitted sheepishly, giving Stefan an apologetic smile as he chuckled and nodded.

Pulling a leaf out of Dawn's short blonde bob, Dawn noticed the eccentric ring on his finger. The rather… Distinctive ring was silver with a large stone which Dawn assumed was… Lapis lazuli? Dawn only knew this due to her father's oh-so-interesting rock collection. Dawn knew lapis lazuli was a bright blue metamorphic rock which was mostly used in jewellery. On the lapis lazuli stone, Dawn noticed a weird symbol, perhaps a family crest of some sort, with the letter 'S' on.

"Uh thanks... Nice ring." Dawn mumbled, mentally face palming. Nice ring? What conversation was that? Dawn mentally cursed herself for being so socially awkward.

Chuckling, Stefan glanced down at the bulky ring. Looking back up, Stefan could clearly see how tense Dawn truly was. The blonde honestly looked as if she wanted to run away from him. "Oh. Um, It's a family ring, yeah. I'm kinda' stuck with it. It's weird, huh?"

Dawn shook her head, "I-I didn't mean it like that. It's different. I quite like different. Who wants to be normal, there's no fun in that?" Dawn rambled nervously as Stefan nodded in agreement.

Before Stefan could agree with her, the strong scent of an open wound hit his nose. Taking a deep breath, Stefan winced but managed to speak.

"Did you hurt yourself?" Stefan asked, frowning as Dawn shook her head.

"Oh, uh, I don't know." Dawn murmured, glancing down at her legs. A frown appeared on her lips as she glanced at the cut that was currently gushing blood. Dawn frowned, she must have scraped her knee while scrambling as Stefan caught her.

"Oh... Ew." Dawn murmured, her nose wrinkling in disgust. Dawn hated the sight of blood, it made her queasy.

As she looked back up at Stefan, Dawn raised an eyebrow to see him looking away. Taking deep breaths, Stefan ignored the scent of blood that was singing to him.

Frowning, Dawn cocked an eyebrow at him. "Um... Are you okay? Dawn asked as Stefan cleared his throat.

"You should go. Take care of that."

Glancing back at the cut, Dawn went to reply only to find Stefan had gone. "What..."

Despite her confusion, Dawn shook her head, assuming that Stefan was also not the biggest fan of blood.

 **...**

Tying the apron around her waist, Dawn tucked a strand of hair behind her as she prepared herself to face the rowdy crowd of the Mystic Grill.

Although working at the Grill wasn't a luxurious job, it payed relatively well. But the only downside was the fact everyone in school hung out at the eccentric restaurant/bar.

It seemed like the Mystic Grill was an averages towns Starbucks, meaning it was constantly full of people. The small town bar had always been a hotspot for teenagers, young adults and couples.

The atmosphere was always loud which didn't suit Dawn. She hated the loud and noisy hangouts such as school, but as mentioned earlier, the job payed relatively well.

Sighing, Dawn pulled her t-shirt down as she tied her apron tighter so it was resting underneath her bump.

Usually, Dawn wore elbow length cardigans and skater skirt dresses rather than jeans, skirts or shirts. Dawn's style was flexible, pretty, but yet simple, meaning she was able wear her clothing through pregnancy, although Dawn did have to get larger sizes now…

Her small bump was currently being hugged by her new long sleeved, red t-shirt, the shirt had been bought by Caroline as a treat. However, Dawn's ditsy best friend had severely underestimated the size she needed and got a shirt a size too small. And Caroline being Caroline, had misplaced the receipt. But the shirt wasn't too bad, it just hugged her bump a little too much for Dawn's liking.

With her red top, Dawn was wearing a pair of maternity skinny jeans that looked like a pair of normal skinny jeans. The dark denim jeans did much for her changing figure and were very comfy. The jeans were definitely worth the money she had spent on them.

And of course, Dawn was wearing her small golden cross necklace, the necklace her mother had bought for her before she died.

Joanna Ellis had been a suspicious, conscious and deranged woman. When Joanna was alive, she would constantly speak of demons taking her daughter and had bought Dawn the necklace for protection when Dawn was still in her mother's womb. Dawn wasn't aware of her mother's previous mental state.

Dawn was also wearing a pair of tan ankle boots along with the black waist apron which she was forced to wear.

Although the Mystic Grill didn't have a strict uniform, Robert, the owner of the establishment, preferred their staff to be 'young and hip' so the restaurant would attract a trendy clientele.

Dawn was pretty sure as soon as Robert learned about her pregnancy, he'd fire her. Who would want a waddling whale working for them? And also he'd have to pay her maternity leave...

Even though she should have told her boss about the pregnancy, Dawn had hidden her bump every time the Robert was in the Grill, which wasn't often.

Sighing, Dawn pulled the small notebook out the waist apron pocket along with a yellow number two pencil that had a red eraser on the end.

Most of the staff could remember the orders off the tops of their heads. But Dawn? She had the memory of a fish. When she was studying for tests, Dawn was a whiz, but remembering meals out of the blue was difficult. Dawn was also paranoid of giving someone the wrong meal.

Dawn was snapped out of her daydream by the sound of someone clearing their throat.

Turning around, Dawn noticed Vicki Donovan, Matt Donovan's drug addict of a sister staring at her with her hands on her hips.

Dawn shook her head at the thought. Who was she to judge Vicki? Here Dawn was, pregnant and practically homeless and yet she judged Vicki for taking drugs? Dawn was as bad as the girls at school... She had no right to judge Vicki as she didn't know Vicki's situation, just like no one knew hers.

Giving Vicki a reserved smile, Dawn waited for the brunette to tell her what she wanted. "Heads up, Robert's coming in later." Vicki told the girl, as she flipped her long brown hair over her shoulder.

Dawn glanced at the Vicki's long hair. Dawn had always wanted long hair but hers practically didn't grow. Eventually Dawn just gave up and kept her waves in a short yet stylish bob.

"Thanks." Dawn murmured, giving the girl a shy smile as Vicki nodded and raised an eyebrow.

"You got any gum?" Vicki asked as Dawn patted her pockets down. When she realized she'd used all of the peppermint gum she had left, Dawn shook her head.

"No, sorry."

Vicki sighed, "Damn... I need some like, right now! Drugs cravings are so shitty." Vicki grumbled, scowling deeply as she ran a hand though her long, tangled locks.

Dawn's eyebrows raised in surprise as she debated on how to answer. "Uh... Yeah?" Dawn agreed quietly, sounding as if she was questioning herself.

Chuckling, Dawn's co-worker shook her head, a large grin on her lips. "You've never had drugs, have you, Barbie?" Vicki asked, already knowing the answer as Dawn raised an eyebrow at the strange nickname.

"Barbie?"

"Yeah, because your super pretty with your wavy blonde hair and big hazel eyes. And of course your like, perfect. -" Vicki replied, giving Dawn a dramatic eye-roll.

Dawn was surprised she hadn't been insulted. As harmless as Vicki was, she often insulted people without even releasing it.

"-And also because you can get them knocked up Barbie dolls." Vicki added as Dawn's facial expressions dropped. Vicki didn't notice this as she laughed.

Dawn spoke too soon...

As her laughing came to an end, Vicki sent the girl a toothy grin. "Anyway, Olivia is at the bar so you're doing tables." Vicki said as Dawn arched her brows.

Robert liked to be organized. He would set up a strict schedule and if you didn't follow it... Well, let's just say he wouldn't be happy.

"Has the schedule changed?" Dawn asked anxiously as Vicki shook her head.

"No, Olivia is being Olivia and wants to be the centre of attention." Vicki said, rolling her eyes as she pointed at the plump waitress who was now behind the bar.

As awful as it sounded, Vicki was right. Dawn had noticed how Olivia liked to make a scene and often, the plump waitress flirted with the drunks at the bar. The thirty-year-old acted as if she was a rebellious high school student...

"Umm. Okay." Dawn mumbled, not wanting to argue with Olivia or Vicki as she got her notepad ready.

Giving the girl another grin, Vicki nodded "I'll get my brothers table." Vicki smirked, noticing Tyler as her eyes travelled up and down his toned, muscular figure.

As Vicki skipped away to get her notepad from the kitchen, Dawn made her way towards a young mother with a one-year-old son and a new-born baby who was dressed in pink from head to toe.

But as she made her way over to small family, Dawn was stopped by a muscular arm. Seeing it was Tyler Lockwood blocking her path, Dawn raised an eyebrow and swallowed her anxiety. Dawn couldn't help but pale as her heart beat picked up. A slight tremble lingered in her fingers as she took a deep breath. She had to be strong. It couldn't happen again. After all, it was all her fault.

"Can I help you?" Dawn mumbled quietly as the smirk sprouted on Tyler's lips. Matt rolled his eyes and silently told his friend to 'knock it off'.

"Yeah... Yes, you can." Tyler replied, his eyes sliding past her slightly noticeable bump to her ass before traveling back up to Dawn's budding breasts. Although she had a small bump, Tyler noticed the girl was curvier than before, her ass was slightly larger and so were her breasts.

Dawn restrained herself from vomiting then and there. Although Dawn knew she was in a public place, it didn't stop the feelings she attempted to lock away, resurface. Matt noticed the tremble and turned to his friend.

"Dick." Matt grumbled under his breath, rolling his eyes as he punished his friend, gently in the shoulder. Tyler chuckled at this but shoved Matt's arm off his shoulder.

"Vicki wants to serve y-you." Dawn replied tensely before removing around Tyler's arm and going towards the family. This time, Tyler didn't try and stop Dawn.

"Dude!" Matt groaned as Tyler gave him a grin. "What?" Tyler replied innocently, a thick smirk on his lips as the blond rolled his eyes.

"She's pregnant, man. She has enough on her plate, she doesn't need your dumb-ass flirting with her." Matt exclaimed causing Tyler to raise an eyebrow in surprise.

"When did you start to fancy our resident teenage pregnancy, aye?" Tyler asked Matt.

Groaning, Matt shook his head. "I don't, man. I just feel bad for her... Y'know. All anybody does is spread rumours about her and her only friend is Care." Matt replied.

Tyler let out a laugh. "Yeah I'd feel bad for anyone who was best friends with Caroline!" Tyler exclaimed jokingly as Matt supressed a laugh and shook his head.

"Seriously, man. I mean... Her dad kicked her out, and he's the town pastor for Christ sake!" Matt replied but was cut off by Tyler's snide remark.

"Don't take the Lord's name in vain... My child." Tyler teased, doing a cross pattern on his chest as Matt shook his head.

Sometimes Matt wondered why he was best friends with Tyler. As much as Matt cared about his best friend, there was no denying that Tyler was a complete and utter douche.

"And her mom died nearly straight after she gave birth... I mean, it can't be easy." Matt continued as Tyler nodded in agreement.

This time Tyler didn't make a snide remark, instead his eyes glanced behind Matt as Vicki walked towards the, a plate of food in her hand as she grinned at Tyler.

Putting the plate in front of her brother, Vicki kept her eyes trained on Tyler. "Thanks, Vick." Matt said before digging into his food, not noticing how Vicki didn't even glance at him.

Looking up, Matt narrowed his eyes as he looked between Tyler and Vicki. Giving him an amorous Smile, Vicki aimed a flirtatious innuendo at Tyler.

"Do you need another refill?" Vicki grinned as Tyler smirked.

"I'd love one."

As Vicki took Tyler's glass away, Matt grimaced and looked at his best friend. "Please tell me you're not hooking up with my sister." Matt stated rather than asked. Judging from the previous encounter between Tyler and Vicki, Matt pretty much knew his best friend and sister were hooking up.

With a straight face, Tyler replied. "I'm not hooking up with your sister." Tyler replied, trying not to smirk and failing as a large, cocky smirk spread across his lips.

Grimacing, Matt shook his head. "You're such a dick."

 **...**

As Dawn gave the family a small smile, she couldn't help but notice Vicki talking to Jeremy Gilbert in the corner of her eyebrow. Minding her own business, Dawn turned back to the family and cleared her throat.

"Hi my names Dawn and I'm your waitress, can I get you guys anything?" Dawn asked as the brunette nodded. "Yes please. George, honey, what do you want?" The mother asked the little boy as he gave his mother a toothy grin.

"Juicee!" The little boy cheered as a petite smile flooded across Dawn's previously tense features.

The mother giggled. "Ask the waitress, honey. Remembering the magic words." The mother said as she reached in her bag and brought out a bottle of milk that had gone slightly too cold.

"Juiceee, please!" The little boy said as Dawn giggled.

"Do you want orange or blackcurrant, sweetie?" Dawn asked the dark-haired child who grinned.

"Orange!"

The mother turned to her son. "The magic words."

Grinning sheepishly, the small child turned back to Dawn. "Orange juiceee, please!" He rambled as Dawn giggled and scribbled the order down.

"Cookiee!" The boy exclaimed, pouting as his mother frowned. "Honey, I haven't been payed yet, maybe another time." The woman replied as the boy frowned.

"Please." The boy begged as the mother shook her head.

"Baby, as much as I crave a slice of devil's chocolate cake, I can't afford it with the other bills." The woman tried. It wasn't easy to explain to a child that the majority of your money had to go to bills so a roof could be over their head. Clearing her throat, the woman turned back to Dawn.

"I'll just have a strong coffee, please." The mother ordered, a frown on her lips as she new-born baby began to cry. Dawn quickly scribbled the order down and looked up to see the woman, who now looked rather stressed.

Noticing her worry, Dawn frowned. "I-Is something wrong?" Dawn asked as the woman gave her an unconvincing smile.

"It's fine. The milks gone cold, but I can feed her when she gets home." The woman murmured as an idea popped into Dawn's head.

"I could put it in some hot water to warm it up in the back... I think that works anyway." Dawn mumbled as the woman's eyes lit up.

Grinning, the woman nodded. "That would be appreciated! Thank god! You're a life saver. She'd be crying through my coffee if not!" The woman said as Dawn smiled faintly.

"It's fine." Dawn shrugged as the woman passed her the bottle.

Peering at the new-born that was strapped in her car seat with a bobble hat on her small head, Dawn gave the woman a smile. "How old is she? If you don't mind me asking." Dawn mumbled, immediately feeling nosy as the woman smiled.

"It's fine, hun. She's only a week old. How far along are you?" The woman asked as Dawn visibly tensed. The woman noticed this and frowned.

"Oh god... Please don't tell me you're not pregnant because if you're not, this is the third time I've done this..." The woman trailed off with wide eyes as Dawn failed to hold back the infectious giggle.

"I am, don't worry-" Dawn mumbled as the woman let out a sigh of relief. "-I just wasn't... Planning it. I'm still in high school." Dawn admitted, waiting for the woman's cheery features turn to disgust. However, this didn't happen.

"Don't worry. Look, it may seem the end of the world if people are being cruel. But believe me. it will be worth it. When this little one pops out with a bright red face, screaming while looking like a little old man, you'll realize that the hell you went through was all worth it." The woman promised, glancing at her boy as Dawn immediately felt relaxed by the woman's words.

"My boy. I had him when I was in college. My parents were really old fashioned and didn't believe in pregnancy without marriage. They were livid, especially when I dropped out of med school to look after George." The woman admitted, running a hand through the boy's curly brown hair as he eagerly waited for his drink.

"I had no money and no family. But we did okay. Money is still tight, but we get around, don't we, huh?" The woman replied, cooing at the end as she tickled the new-borns cheek with her index finger.

"My dad is the towns preachers... He kicked me out. I've been living with my best friend." Dawn admitted as the woman's eyes softened.

"I'm sure it'll all work out for the best." The woman reassured the waitress as Dawn nodded in agreement.

"I hope so." Dawn murmured before going into the kitchen with the bottle.

As she placed the bottle in hot water, Dawn poured a drink of orange juice in a plastic cup before making the woman a coffee. After placing the orange and coffee on the tray, Dawn put some milk and sashays along with a stirrer on the tray.

Cheekily, Dawn grabbed a cookie for the small boy and a slice of chocolate cake for the woman. After pulling the bottle out of the hot water, Dawn made sure the plastic wasn't too hot before placing it back on the tray.

Walking back into the front, Dawn couldn't help but overhear Vicki talking to Jeremy.

" _Yeah? What do you want me for?_ " Vicki snapped. Dawn frowned, she knew better than to get involved in Vicki's business. Dawn had enough stress as it is, she didn't need anymore.

Placing the tray on the table, the woman's eyebrows knotted together.

"I'm sorry, we didn't order the cake or cookie. But thank you for doing my daughters bottle." The woman smiled, pulling out her purse as Dawn shook her head.

"It's fine. And anyways, it's on me. All of your order" Dawn replied nervously as the woman's eyes widened in surprise.

"What?" The woman questioned as Dawn shrugged.

"I've been feeling down about my pregnancy and you really cheered me up. Happiness is worth much more than money." Dawn smiled as the woman smiled brightly.

"Oh hun. You're so sweet!" She exclaimed before engulfing Dawn into a hug. Dawn tensed into the hug but soon relaxed. Hugging back, Dawn noticed the small boy chomping on his cookie.

Pulling back, the woman smiled and pulled Dawn's notebook and pencil from the tray. Scribbling her name and number on a plane sheet, the woman put it back on the tray.

"My names Jeannie, if you need anything, even if you just want to talk. Call me, okay?" The woman smiled as Dawn nodded and took the number. Pushing the paper into her apron pocket, Dawn put a mental reminder up to take the number out before she left her shift.

After bidding goodbye to Jeannie, Dawn headed back to the front only to see Care and Bonnie Bennett sat at a table.

"Dawnie!" Caroline shrieked, seeing the girl as Dawn smiled.

"Hey Care." Dawn smiled and turned to Bonnie. Awkwardly, Dawn gave her a forced smile which was returned in an equally awkward manor.

Although Dawn didn't know Bonnie that well, Dawn couldn't deny how beautiful and attractive the cheerleader was. The brunette could have been classed as an exotic beauty and had an ethereal beauty aura around her. Bonnie's features were soft and gentle, giving her a somewhat delicate appearance.

Dawn had also noticed that there was something dreamy, perhaps even tranquil about Bonnie's physical appearance. The brunette had a heart-shaped face, with full cheeks and a pointed chin. She had perfectly shaped arched eyebrows which frame over her almond eyes. She had clear and soft light brown complexion with long, luxurious dark brown or soft black wavy hair. Bonnie's hair was usually styled in very tight curls and sometimes soft beach waves.

Like Dawn, Bonnie was also rather short, however Bonnie made Dawn feel tall. While Dawn was 5'4, Dawn estimated that Bonnie was around 5'2.

Pouting, Caroline cocked her head to the left. "Why do you have to work so much Dawnie? When you're not working your... Your..." Caroline paused to shudder. Bonnie raised an eyebrow at this.

"Studying!" Caroline exclaimed dramatically as she shuddered. Bonnie chuckled at this.

The perky blonde stood up and engulfed Dawn in an affectionate hug. As Caroline pulled out the hug, Dawn glanced at her clothes. The blonde was wearing a frilly purple top, a blue denim skirt with a pair of purple heels.

Caroline's clothing style was pretty girly, she mostly wore pinks, yellows and excessively bright colours which would draw attention to herself. Dawn liked how Caroline took care of her appearance, always making sure to match her hairstyle and accessories to her daily outfits. Care's accessories were usually eye-catching and consisted of large earrings, small bags, jewellery and hairbands.

And although Caroline wore vibrant colours, Caroline rarely wore blue, due to the blonde complaining that the colour blue made it seem like her clothes seemed a little too tight on her body, however Dawn thought blue looked perfectly fine on Caroline.

"Because Care, I feel bad staying at yours and not contributing to the rent." Dawn admitted as Caroline frowned. "My mom doesn't expect any money of you, Dawnie. I swear. She doesn't mind and like me, she's worried about you... All this working isn't good for you, neither of you." Caroline frowned as she looked at Dawn with sincere concern.

Bonnie frowned sympathetically at this. Maybe Elena and herself had been too harsh on Dawn...

Leaning forward, Dawn pressed a kiss to Caroline's cheek. "I feel bad Care and I don't give all the money to your mom. I'm saving up for an apartment of my own." Dawn admitted as Caroline's smile dropped.

Furrowing her brows together, Caroline frowned. "What? Why?" Caroline asked as Dawn sighed.

"When he or she is born Care, they'll be up all night screaming and soon you'll be sick at the sight of me. And I can't sponge of you and your mom forever." Dawn muttered as Caroline continued to frown.

Bonnie sat in the middle awkwardly.

"You're not sponging and as if I could get sick at the sight of you. Plus I love kids and I am like the heaviest sleeper ever! You know that!" Caroline exclaimed as Dawn nibbled on her lower lip.

"Care-" Dawn began but was cut off by Bonnie clearing her throat.

"So you were talking about Stefan." Bonnie reminded Caroline as the blonde frowned. Was Bonnie deliberately cutting Dawnie out the conversation or trying to stop Caroline from whining?

"I got to get back to work, Care. I'll see you later." Dawn murmured, waving goodbye to her best friend before scurrying into the kitchen.

Caroline sighed and turned to Bonnie. "His name is Stefan Salvatore. He lives with uncle up at the old Salvatore Boarding House. He hasn't lived here since he was a kid. Military family, so they moved around a lot. He's a Gemini, and his favourite colour is blue."

Bonnie's eyebrows raised in surprise. Caroline should be a FBI agent... "You got all of that in one day?"

Scoffing, Caroline smirked at the witch. "Oh, please, I got all that between third and fourth period. We're planning a June wedding." Caroline grinned however her grin faltered when her gaze landed on Dawn who was now putting her own money from her purse into the till.

 **...**

Leaning over the cheap oak table, Matt furrowed his thick dark blond brows at Bonnie as he pursed his lips. Glancing at the coffee in her hand, Bonnie raised a brow as Matt's hard features morphed into ones of a concerned man.

"How's Elena doing?" Matt asked curiously.

Frowning, Bonnie took a sip of her coffee and sighed. "Her mom and dad died. How do you think? She's putting on a good face, but it's only been four months." Bonnie replied, her brown orbs sad as she thought about how much her best friend had been through.

Matt nodded. Clearing his throat, Matt swallowed his nerves. "Has she said anything about me?" Matt asked as Bonnie groaned.

Didn't Matt understand she didn't want to get in the middle of the whole Elena and Matt situation. Over the summer, Matt was constantly asking Bonnie how Elena was and Bonnie had finally thought he stopped asking. He needed to talk to Elena himself, Bonnie was not his messenger pigeon.

"Oh, no. So not getting in the middle. You pick up the phone and call her." Bonnie protested, raising an eyebrow sassily as Matt frowned.

Frustrated, Matt squared his jaw. "I feel weird calling her. She broke up with me."

Smiling sympathetically, Bonnie rested a hand on his shoulder. "Give it more time, Matt."

However, Bonnie didn't have Matt's full attention, he was currently looking at Elena, who had walked through the door with Stefan. Turning to see what Matt's gaze was, Bonnie frowned sympathetically as Matt scowled.

"More time, huh?"

Before Bonnie could reply, Matt had walked over to the two and introduced himself. The group then gathered around a table and took the opportunity to get to know Stefan. From the backroom, Dawn peered out the door to see Matt, Stefan and Elena stood by the main doors of the grill.

"Dawn!"

Turning around, Dawn found Vicki with her arms crossed. "Did you let table three go without paying?!" Vicki demanded as Dawn bit on her lower lip.

Trying to remember who had been on table three, Dawn glanced at the table to see a plate of cookie crumbs, a plate of chocolate cake crumbs along with two empty drinks, one hot and one cold. As realization flooded across Dawn's features, she glanced back at Vicki.

"I paid for them, don't worry."

Before Vicki could say anything else, Dawn reluctantly walked towards the table that consisted of Matt, Elena, Stefan, Caroline and Bonnie. Dawn also noted that Tyler Lockwood was stood nearby, playing pool with a pupil who Dawn didn't recognize.

"Can I take your guys order?" Dawn mumbled awkwardly as the table looked up. Dawn wasn't carrying any menus as she knew people from her school hung out here and often ordered mostly drinks.

As Caroline's face lit up, the blonde gave her fellow blonde a toothy grin. "Dawnie!" Giving her best friend an uncomfortable smile, Dawn gave a little wave as Elena's eyes slid down to Dawn's bump which was now noticeable.

In school Dawn had held her books of her bloated bump, but there was no use on hiding it anymore. The bump would only get bigger. And bigger... And bigger...

"So drinks?" Dawn asked as Stefan gave her a smile.

"I'll just have coffee please." Stefan said as Caroline smirked at this. The blonde had thought Stefan would order coffee, Bonnie shook her head and stifled a laugh at this.

Nodding, Dawn scribbled the order down in her notepad.

"I'll have coffee too!" Caroline grinned as she leaned closer to Dawn. "Black. Like my soul." Caroline whispered as Dawn giggled.

Elena raised an eyebrow at this. Dawn had always seemed so lonely. So sad... Elena felt a streak of guilt run through her veins as she looked at the blonde.

However, Dawn's happiness didn't last long. Her face turned to stone almost immediately when she felt Elena's eyes on her bump.

"I'll just have an orange juice." Elena said, giving Dawn a small smile as the girl nodded.

Clearing his throat, Matt rubbed the back of his neck as tension gathered in the room. "Coke please, Bonnie?" Matt asked, motioning for Bonnie to say her order as the multicolour girl shook her head.

Bonnie sighed and looked at Matt. "No thanks, I'm not thirsty." Bonnie replied, nudging her empty coffee cup forward as Dawn nodded.

Giving the table a small smile, Dawn grabbed Bonnie's empty mug before scurrying away before anyone could say anything else.

As silence gathered in the air, Caroline let out a sigh and pouted. "That's like the first time I've heard her laugh for like... Thirteen weeks!" Caroline exclaimed, sadness laced in her words as she ran a hand through her tousled blonde locks.

It seemed like Caroline was unaware of the amount of people who gossiped about Dawn. Caroline was aware that the sweet blonde was talked about due to her pregnancy and her being a 'good girl' but Caroline wasn't aware that girls such as Elena and Bonnie talked about Dawn.

Care wasn't also aware that the rest of the cheer team would gossip about the pregnant girl when Caroline wasn't in the locker rooms... But if Caroline found out, Bonnie was pretty sure Caroline would go crazy.

* * *

 **Sorry for any mistakes! I have pre-wrote about six chapters and will continue if anyone likes this. Thanks for reading, it is deeply appreciated. I would also just to make a quick warning that there will be some triggering subjects in the future. Also my cover Is made by the amazing** _itsmari-a_ **on Wattpad. She's so sweet and I cant recommended her enough! Check her covers out as they are literally perfection! Message me and i'll send you the link to her profile.**


	2. t w o

**1x01 pilot part two**

 **Dawn Ellis played by Dianna Agron**

Drumming her poorly chipped nails on the desk, Dawn sighed as she turned to stare out the arched classroom window. Dawn was beyond exhausted and Tanner's constant flow of moronic theories about the civil war, didn't help the situation the slightest bit. Dawn could have passed out then and there.

The expecting blonde had worked yet _another_ late shift at the Grill. Strangely enough, Dawn's late hours didn't help her current sleeping issue. You would have thought that working a time-consuming, strenuous work shift would make it easier for Dawn to sleep. Apparently not.

For at least a year now, nightmares had been keeping Dawn up, and no matter what she did, she had nightmares about _him_. Her nightmares used to be less frequent, ranging from one or two a week. But now? Dawn had a nightmare about him every night. Dawn suspected it was because she was carrying his child. A permeant reminder of what had happened.

Caroline was unaware of the constant stream nightmares that prevented Dawn from sleeping. Dawn knew that if the compassionate blonde found out about Dawn's recurring nightmares, then Caroline would suspect something was up.

The last thing Dawn wanted was to be asked questions. She was trying to move on from what had happened. It was in the past now. The past was written and the ink was dry, it couldn't be erased. Instead it had to be accepted. Anyways, it was all her fault, he wasn't to blame.

"The Battle of Willow Creek took place right at the end of the war in our very own Mystic Falls. How many casualties resulted in this battle? Ms. Bennett?"

Looking away from the window briefly, Dawn peered at Tanner, who was terrorizing and humiliating his pupils: his favourite hobby. Bonnie's head was now snapped up, her almond, brown eyes wide as she leaned forward, attempting to hide her doodles from the teachers prying gaze.

"Um...a lot? I'm not sure. Like a whole lot." Bonnie reasoned, her elbows covering the undomesticated drawings as she fluttered her eyelashes innocently at Tanner.

Snickering, Tanner shook his head before setting his target on Matt. "Cute becomes dumb in an instant, Ms. Bennett. Mr. Donovan? Would you like to take this opportunity to overcome your embedded jock stereotype?"

The blond teen shook his head and sent the teacher a sarcastic smile. "It's okay, Mr. Tanner, I'm cool with it."

Tanner rolled his eyes. "Elena? Any answers?" The teacher asked as the doe eyed girl shook her head.

"No, I'm sorry." Elena murmured as the history teacher rolled his eyes before turning to Dawn.

"Hmm. Dawn? Surely you can enlighten us about one of the town's most significantly historical events?" Tanner asked expectantly as Dawn's face flushed beet red.

As the strict teacher looked at the pregnant teen in anticipation, Dawn nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She could physically feel everyone's gaze on her, causing her stomach to burst into a frenzy of summersaults. They were all waiting. Waiting for her to give Tanner the correct answer. They all expected her to know the ins and outs of everything, but for a change, Dawn didn't know. She had no idea what Tanner was even talking about.

The fair-haired girl was usually on top of these things, Dawn used to know all the answers and get the best grades. But she was beyond stressed and had fallen flat on school work.

Honestly, Dawn was the least concerned about getting an 'A+' in history. And although Dawn missed her large, alphabetical, red friend, Dawn knew she had more important things than grades to worry about. But that didn't mean Dawn wasn't emotionally brought down by her low grades.

Dawn had always dreamed of becoming a writer. She had fantasized of going to Harvard, to study English literature and become a well renowned author. But reality soon heaped down on her impractical, rather absurd daydreams. The dreams had soon turned to ashes and were swiftly blown away by a large dose of reality. Dawn knew she'd never be able to afford Harvard, never have the time nor the grades to attend the acclaimed college.

 _He_ had **desolated** her life. He had taken everything she had from underneath her feet and left her with nothing. But yet the was not a single thing Dawn could do about it. All Dawn could do was gather the remains of her life and carry on.

"I'm sorry, I-I don't know." Dawn stuttered, a slight tremble in her fingers as multiple pupils raised their brows in surprise.

"Does Little-Miss-Know-It-All not know the answer?" An emphatic, rich voice snickered from the back of the class as Dawn's face burnished pink. Lowering her head, Dawn continued to timidly stare at the lined paper of her notepad as Tanner frowned.

Still registering the fact that Dawn didn't know the answer, Tanner's eyes landed on the person who made the sly comment. "Quiet!" Tanner bellowed as a sheer silence flooded over the giggling students.

Standing in front of the desk Dawn was currently occupying, Tanner's beady gaze glowered down at the pregnant blonde. "I was willing to be lenient last term for obvious reasons, Dawn. But the personal excuses ended with summer break. You can't use this excuse for nine months."

Tanner's brain surely didn't function properly. It seemed that Tanner expected Dawn to get over the shock of her pregnancy in a matter of weeks... Who in the right mind would think that?

Exchanging bewildered glances, Elena and Bonnie also shared a range of synchronised frowns. The two teens were beyond the stage of confusion now. Why was Tanner being such a dick to his 'favourite student'? As Dawn's fellow pupils broke into a chorus of sniggers, the blonde glimpsed down at her rounded, little bump and covered it with the palms of her hands.

As Elena's frown deepened, the doppelgängers tender, winsome eyes never left Dawn. The brunette knew what it was like to be personally victimized by Tanner, so Elena truly felt bad for Dawn.

As Dawn was about to apologise again, a hoarse voice cut her off.

"There were 346 casualties. Unless you're counting local civilians."

Raising an arched, tow-coloured brow, Dawn peered over her shoulder discreetly, her hands still cupping her bump. Stefan Salvatore sat a couple of rows behind her, lounging on his chair casually.

"That's correct. Mister...?" Tanner trailed off, looking at the new student as he walked away from Dawn's desk and stood in the centre of the room.

"Salvatore."

Dawn glanced back at Stefan in astonishment. The Salvatore's were one of Mystic Fall's founding father families along with the Fell's, the Lockwood's, the Forbes' and the Gilbert's.

And although the original Salvatore mansion had been torn down, the Salvatore's possessed a stately, rather grand, antique house. However, due to the sheer size of the building, it could have been mistaken for a hotel.

"Salvatore. Any relation to the original settlers here at Mystic Falls?" Tanner asked curiously as Stefan shrugged carelessly.

"Distant." The boy replied.

Smirking, Tanner turned back to the board. "Well, very good. Except, of course, there were no civilian casualties in this battle."

As Tanner went to write the facts on the board, Stefan's voice interrupted him. "Actually, there were 27, sir. Confederate soldiers, they fired on the church, believing it to be housing weapons. They were wrong. It was a night of great loss. The founder's archives are, uh, stored in civil hall if you'd like to brush up on your facts, Mr. Tanner."

 **...**

Glancing at Stefan, Caroline grinned when she realised the new boy had made it to the first party of the school year. Primping her already voluminous, blonde hair up, Caroline took a deep breath and approached Stefan. Although Stefan's back was facing Caroline, the blonde automatically knew it was him due to the way his straight, short, dark blonde hair was gelled. Not only that, Caroline was able to tell due to his slightly above average height and his lean and athletic physique.

Despite the fact Stefan had only been attending Mystic High for two or so days, Caroline had memorised Stefan's fashion sense. The new boy seemed the prefer trendy and more casual clothing. The blonde had also noticed Stefan was mostly seen wearing dark colours, such as black, grey and dark blue.

With a sway in her hips, Caroline tapped his shoulder, giving Stefan a large, flirtatious smile when he turned around.

"Hey! You made it!" Caroline exclaimed as Stefan gave the girl a polite smile.

Nodding, Stefan shuffled on his feet. "I did"

With a bright dazzling smile, Caroline fluttered her lashes as she looked around the party. Things were going well. The party seemed to be in full swing now, everyone was dancing, playing drinking games and the odd person was falling over and throwing up. This was how the first party of the school year was supposed to be! "Well, let's get you a drink." Caroline offered.

As he searched the crowd for Elena, Stefan's voice was a low mutter. "Well, I'm-" Stefan began but didn't manage to reply as he found himself strolling towards Elena.

Scowling, Caroline sighed. "Oh, come on."

Frustrated, Caroline fished her phone out her pocket and began texting Dawnie. It had taken all of Caroline's pride to convince Dawn to go to the first party of the year.

Caroline knew Dawn hadn't really liked going to parties before her pregnancy, but Dawn 's anti-sociality had gotten worse. The blonde hoped Dawn would be able to let loose and have some fun. All Caroline wanted was to see her best friend smile.

However, Dawn's view on going to the party wasn't the same as Caroline's. Dawn personally didn't see the point, she had a late shift at the Grill later and was pregnant, so it wasn't like she could drink alcohol.

But even so, drinking hadn't ever really bothered Dawn as she had never been a big drinker. Dawn couldn't drink a glass of red wine without getting a hangover…

 _Beeep._

Glancing back down at her phone, Caroline smiled when her text-tone went off, informing Caroline she had gotten a text of her blonde haired best friend.

 _Dawnie: Okay. I'll come then... But I can't stay late as I have a shift at the Grill later. xxxx_

 **...**

With a drink in her hand, Bonnie smiled as Elena glanced through the crowds. Arching a brow, Bonnie couldn't help but to let a grin slide across her features. Bonnie was beyond happy for her best friend. Elena truly deserved some happiness after losing her parents and hopefully, Stefan could give Elena that.

"So where is he?" Bonnie questioned.

Shrugging, Elena gave her best friend a cheeky smile. "I don't know. You tell me, you're the psychic one."

Bonnie shook her head and smiled. It was good to see Elena happier. Bonnie honestly could remember the last time Elena had genially smiled. "Right, I forgot. Okay, so give me a sec. Grams says I have to concentrate." Bonnie joked, putting the blue paper cup down that _had_ been filled with cheap beer.

"Wait, you need a crystal ball." Elena added, looking around before her eyes landed on an empty beer bottle. Placing it upside down, Elena grinned at her best friend.

Mockingly, Bonnie was about to take the bottle but Elena's voice cut her off.

"Is that Dawn Ellis?"

Bonnie's head turned so fast that Elena thought Bonnie would have whiplash. "I think it is..." Bonnie trailed off, surprised that Dawn was actually at the party.

Everyone knew that Dawn Ellis was the shyest girl in the year. She never went to parties, dances or any sort of social events excluding school. So the two girls were astounded to see Dawn entering the party. Elena assumed that Caroline had convinced Dawn to go.

As Dawn approached the girls, Dawn couldn't help but glance at Elena Gilbert. Although Dawn didn't have anything to do with Elena, Dawn knew that Elena and Bonnie must of been nice girls when you got to know them, after all, they were friends with Caroline. Also, Dawn couldn't deny how beautiful both Elena and Bonnie where. No wonder they were friends with Caroline, the three would be a perfect friend group, beautiful, kind and popular.

Dawn couldn't deny that Elena was one of the prettiest girls Dawn had ever seen. Elena was beautiful with an oval face, light olive complexion, almond-shaped eyes that resembled a doe's, and long brown hair. Unlike Caroline, Elena's fashion sense was much more relaxed. The brunette wore casual, sport clothing with a style which could be classed as "girl next door" style.

"Excuse me, uh, have you, uh, seen Caroline..." Dawn asked tensely, coming up to Bonnie and Elena, grabbing Bonnie's arm gently to get the brunette's attention. Bonnie spaced out but quickly came back to her senses and abruptly pulled her arm back.

Dawn blinked in surprise as she tried not to look offended. "Sorry for bothering you two..." Dawn murmured, bolting off to away from the two.

Giving her friend a wide eyed stare, Elena frowned. "What was that?" Elena asked, confused by Bonnie's rather harsh behaviour as the brunette shuddered.

"When we touched... I saw a crow..." Bonnie trailed off, her voice scared as Elena's brows knotted together in confusion. Bonnie was beyond confused, something about Dawn was soothing to her, she hadn't noticed it before. But when they had touched... Bonnie had felt cold... It was almost like something was hovering over her. Like… Death was clinging to her. Bonnie shook her head.

"What?"

Bonnie shrugged, avoiding eye-contact. "A crow. There was fog, a man. I'm drunk. It's the drinking. There's nothing psychic about it. Yeah? Ok, I'm gonna' get a refill."

Before Elena could say anything else, Bonnie darted away.

 **...**

Avoiding the drunken teens and the large puddles of vomit, Dawn swerved through the crowds as she tried to spot her bubbly best friend amongst the other wasted teens. The blonde cheerleader had been the only reason Dawn had attended the party and now she seemed nowhere near... Where the hell was Caroline?

Wearing a pair of black, maternity skinny jeans, Dawn looked underdressed for the party with a large, over-sized red top with sleeves that went up to her elbow. With the outfit, Dawn had her usual jewellery on and a pair of plain white converse that were covered in a thick layer of mud, but comfy nevertheless.

As Dawn walked away from Elena and Bonnie, Dawn tried to disguise the hurt that was threatening to surface amongst her features. Of course Dawn knew what people thought of her, Dawn knew everyone was disgusted by her emotionally... But Bonnie had yanked Dawn's hand away as if Dawn had some sort of disease.

Sighing, Dawn glanced at her wrist watch. It was almost half ten meaning that Dawn only had ten minutes till her shift at the Grill.

"Dawnie!"

The pregnant blonde was relieved to hear the shrill voice of her best friend.

Spinning around, Dawn was met by Caroline's restricting embrace. As foolish as it sounded, Dawn felt uncomfortable as her little bump submerged into the smooth flesh of Caroline's flat, toned tummy.

But that wasn't the only reason why Dawn felt uncomfortable. Abruptly pulling away from Caroline's hug, Dawn sighed in relief when Caroline took no notice of Dawn's rather odd behaviour. As Caroline flicked her platinum hair over her shoulders, the perky blonde placed her hands on Dawn's swollen stomach.

"How is the little one?!" Caroline asked, a grin on her face as she took no notice of the people that were staring at them.

"Fine, Care. Look, I need to talk to you." Dawn murmured, tucking a short strand of hair behind her ear as Caroline arched a thin brow.

"Oh my god. The little one isn't okay... Are they? Oh my god." Caroline panicked, rubbing in repetitive circular motions as Dawn faintly smiled.

Dawn couldn't help but appreciate Caroline's concern. Even if Dawn didn't have any other friends, Caroline was the only best friend she needed.

"The baby's fine, Care. I promise. It's just that I have a shift at the Grill." Dawn murmured, feeling guilty as Caroline's sudden relived smile dropped in an instance. Moving her hands from Dawn's bump, Caroline tried to hide her disappointment.

"Oh." Caroline murmured as Dawn frowned guiltily.

"I'm sorry Care. But I can't bail again, or I'll get fired." Dawn replied as Caroline frowned.

"Oh... Okay. See you later." Caroline mumbled as Dawn shot her a small smile friend before heading towards the Grill.

 **…**

 _Flashback_

 _Threading her fingers through her blonde, over-brushed locks, Dawn nervously shifted on her feet as people walked past her and entered the extravagant, rather dark church that was littered with dozens of candles. Stood beside Dawn was Shelia and her dad, welcoming the guests to the service._

 _Dawn wasn't sure where Abraham, her stepbrother, was. He was supposed to be at the service but he couldn't attend due to some sort of event that came up. Dawn found it annoying that if she had claimed she had other plans, her father and Shelia would be annoyed at her, but when it was golden boy Abraham, it didn't matter. Abraham could burn the church down and her father nor Shelia would batter an eyelash._

 _Although Dawn didn't really like Shelia, Dawn couldn't deny how attractive the woman was. Shelia Elis was an attractive woman in her mid-to-late 30's with a tanned complexion, hazel eyes and medium-length strawberry blonde hair, her face was thin and mild, her chin was pointed and her nose had a slight point at the tip._

 _The redhead's skin was covered in fair, small freckles, while Shelia's hair was often pulled back in a tight bun. Shelia's sense of style was classy, often consisting of knee-length pencil skirts, plain cotton blouses and wrist-length cardigans._

 _Glancing at the woman's whose arms were crossed over her chest, Dawn frowned. Shelia was wearing a plain, navy pencil skirt, a white blouse, a royal blue cardigan, while a string of real pearls was looped around her neck. Shelia's hazel eyes scanned over Dawn as she bowed her head._

 _At the age of eleven, Dawn was short, skinny and flat-chested. The eleven-year-old was wearing a plain white, lace dress that was way too big and hung off her scrawny figure._

 _Besides Shelia, Dawn's father stood. His arms crossed over his black suit as he smiled and welcomed the visitors. Gabriel Ellis was a man in his early forties. With piercing blue eyes, pale skin and dark hair, the pastor had a charming aura to him._

 _"Welcome, Nate!" Gabriel cheered, raising his arms as he patted his friend on the back._

 _Dawn glanced at him briefly before looking back to the ground. The blonde was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice the perky, platinum blonde trotting up to her._

 _"Dawnie!"_

 _Looking up, Dawn's eyes widened when she saw Caroline running towards her._

 _"Caroline?" Dawn hadn't expected Caroline to come to the church service. Church wasn't Caroline's thing._

 _The blonde grinned and pulled Dawn in a tight hug as both Gabriel and Shelia frowned. Both adults had always thought Caroline Forbes was a bad influence on Dawn. Caroline Forbes wore way too much makeup, her clothing was too tight and the blonde didn't go to church. The girl also was boy-obsessed and the sort of girl Shelia would expect to get pregnant at fourteen._

 _Currently, the blonde was wearing a rather bright and short pink dress. Caroline could practically feel the looks of judgment passed between Shelia and Gabriel, being directed at her. But Caroline didn't care what they thought, Gabriel was kind to Caroline while Shelia was a straight up bitch. Caroline had no idea how Dawn managed to cope living with the crazy woman._

 _Turning to Dawn's dad and step-mom, Caroline gave the two a false smile. "Mr Ellis. Mrs Ellis."_

 **...**

Sighing, Dawn tied her apron around her stomach, covering her tiny bump as she cautiously glanced at Robert from the corner of her eye. Although Dawn didn't usually work on Wednesdays, Dawn had jumped at the chance when she was offered another shift. Due to the fact that most of the staff were teenagers and attending the back to school party, Robert was desperate for staff.

As a pit of guilt brewed in her stomach, Dawn tried to focus as she picked up her notepad and pencil. Although Dawn felt bad for leaving Caroline at the party, she had to work. Dawn had forgotten all about the party when accepting Robert's offer and anyways, Caroline knew Dawn hated parties.

Unknown to Caroline, Dawn was working as many shifts as possible due to the fact she was saving up for a small studio flat. However, Dawn was only paid $8.54 an hour and worked around forty hours a week, and even with additional tips, Dawn would be saving up for a long time.

But hopefully, Dawn would be able to save up. Dawn had already saved up one thousand dollars, which Dawn was hoping was enough for a deposit.

Although Caroline and Liz welcomed Dawn with wide arms, Dawn knew she couldn't stay with Liz and Caroline forever. Liz worked long and late hours while Caroline had school, both of them needed their sleep, so Dawn knew it wasn't fair to keep them up awake with her screaming baby.

Dawn had already made the decision to drop out of high school when her due date got closer. Dawn would never be able to handle the pressure of high school's grades, homework and long work hours while being heavily pregnant. Dawn would also have to forget about school after giving birth, after all, Dawn could go to high school with a new-born baby. Well, if she kept the baby that was.

In all honestly, Dawn wanted to keep her baby. Dawn could relate to not growing up with a mother, so it would crush her to think that her child, her own flesh and blood, would grow up without their biological mother. But then again, her child would be a constant reminder of what had happened... Dawn wasn't sure she'd be able to handle that.

A friend of her fathers had pointed out that she could give the baby to Margaret Stevens and her husband, George. The couple were unable to have kids of their own and Dawn knew they'd love her baby, but the thought made her insides twist.

Although Margaret and George had a stable financial situation, Dawn knew money wasn't everything. But then again, would Dawn be able to provide everything her baby needed?

Dawn knew that Margaret and George had a lovely, family barn conversion which was surrounded by 2 acres of land. The house had a white picket fence edging the land, while the land they owned was a fresh green which was always mowed and filled with bright flowers. The land also had lots of large, tall trees that would have been perfect for building a tree house. The large house must have had at least three spare bedrooms.

While Margaret was an environmental lawyer, George was a nurse, so it was pretty safe to say they had good income. So not only did the two have mind-numbingly intelligent jobs, the two looked the part of a 'perfect family'.

Margaret was in her early forties with red hair, soft features and plump lips. The woman was always seen in pencil skirts, silk blouses, suit jackets and posh stilettoes. While George was slightly younger than Margaret, being in his early-to-late thirties, George's dress sense was much more relaxed. Although the man had a receding hairline, sharp features and a kind smile.

Shaking the thoughts out of her head, Dawn sighed. She should focus on work...

 **...**

Clearing his throat, Stefan took a small sip from the plastic cup which contained cheap, tasteless alcohol. As Elena stood opposite the new boy, she found herself blushing as his noteworthy green orbs met her own.

"I like Bonnie, she seems like a good friend." Stefan admitted, looking around for the Bennett who seemed to be wary around him. However, despite this, Stefan could tell that Elena and Bonnie were close, meaning Bonnie was a good person. After all, Stefan couldn't imagine Elena to be best friends with someone mean or cruel.

Elena grinned brightly, her doe orbs glistening at the mention of her best friend. "Best friend in the world." She confirmed as Stefan smiled slightly before his eyes landed on someone behind her.

"And Matt, he can't seem to, uh, take his eyes off of us." Stefan acknowledged, glancing at the glaring blond before switching his gaze back to Elena.

The vampire had noticed how Elena's ex-boyfriend hadn't taken his eyes of him. Matt Donovan hadn't stopped glaring at Stefan ever since he began talking to Elena.

Stefan noted how Elena grimaced slightly. "Matt's that friend since childhood that you start dating because you owe it to yourselves to see if you can be more." Elena replied, taking a small sip of her own drink as Stefan arched a thick brow.

"And?"

As soon as Elena's bright smile faded, Stefan immediately regretted asking. "And then my parents died, and everything changes. Anyway, Matt and I, together we just, I don't know, it wasn't, um...it wasn't... " Elena trailed off, her eyes on the ground as her posture stiffened.

"Passionate?" Stefan asked as Elena finished the rest of her drink.

Shrugging, Elena felt herself relax as she put her now empty paper cup on the table. "No. No, it wasn't passionate..." Elena trailed off awkwardly.

Nodding, Stefan took a deep breath as Elena's sweet blood called for him. As Stefan's eyes began to change, the dark orbs were gone as soon as they arrived. However, Elena still noticed this.

Concerned, Elena took a step forward. "Hey, um, are you okay? Um, your eye, it just, it's-" Elena trailed off, her body oozing with concern as Stefan nodded stiffly, cutting her off.

"Oh, um...Yeah, no. It's, um, it's nothing. Um, are you thirsty? I'm gonna get us a drink." Stefan replied.

Before Elena could answer, Stefan rushed off and headed towards the refreshments table. Elena watched him with unease, how weird… Oh well, Elena was sure it was nothing. Probably a trick of the moon light, or something like that.

 **...**

Treading through the dense forest, Vicki cursed under her breath as she glanced down at her new brown boots which were now covered in a compressed layer of mud. As she looked back up, Vicki jumped as the sound of a twig snapping caught her attention.

As goose bumps rapidly ran down her arms, Vicki's stature tensed as she took a deep breath. Attempting to shake her fear off, Vicki shook her head. She immediately regretted having a horror movie marathon with Matt last night.

It seemed like the film 'Scream' had made her paranoid...

However, her fears were once again confronted as another twig snapped. "Jeremy? Is that you?...Jeremy?" Vicki called out, her voice rasped with fear.

Furrowing her brows together, Vicki's pulse quickened as fog descended around her. It was like a horror movie...

Vicki was waiting for one of two options to happen. Either a serial killer with a ghost-face mask was going to jump out, or her preferred option: Jeremy or Tyler would jump out, laughing about how they had pranked her.

Before Vicki could shout of again for Jeremy, a figure appeared behind her before plunging his sharp canines into the pulsing arteries in her neck.

 **...**

Patiently, Elena bit her lip as she waited for Stefan to get back with their drinks. Honestly, Elena wasn't really bothered about having a drink, she simply wanted to get to know Stefan more. A smile found its way onto Elena's features as she thought about Stefan. Something about him… Called her to him. As strange as that sounded.

Before Elena could ponder any more about Stefan, heavy approaching footsteps caught her attention. Spinning around, the doppelgängers smile dropped when she saw Matt.

"Looking for someone?"

Elena's lips swiftly curled into a polite, yet slightly awkward smile. "Hey."

It was clear that Matt had something on his mind. Matt was once her boyfriend and best friend, she knew his habits, pet peeves and what his body language meant. Matt had a habit of swiping his tongue across his lower lip or square his jaw when he was annoyed or frustrated.

"When you broke up with me, you said it was because you needed some time alone. You don't look so alone to me." Matt scowled, his tongue leaving a wet trail across his lower lip as Elena looked to the floor guiltily.

She couldn't help how she felt... Elena just felt like... She could open up to Stefan, that she could completely and solely trust him. Elena had never felt like that before. And anyway, if she was moving on, why couldn't he?

Their relationship hadn't even been working before the car accident. They had good times as a couple, but all good things came to an end.

"Matt, you don't understand. It's-" Elena tried but was cut off with Matt's angered words.

Shaking his head, Matt scoffed in annoyance. "That's okay, Elena. You do what you have to do. I just want to let you know that...I still believe in us. And I'm not giving up on that." Matt snarled.

Taking a step back, Elena's eyes flashed with sympathy.

"Matt..."

 **...**

With an enthusiastic smile on her pretty face, Caroline pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she walked towards Stefan. The new, godly-looking boy was currently holding two plastic cups which were filled with the cheap alcohol that Caroline and the other organizers had supplied the party with.

The pretty blonde was beyond wasted and was _not_ having the fun she expected she'd have. Caroline had many friends, but Caroline honestly wanted to party with Dawnie, not one of the stuck up cheerleaders who just wanted to hang out with Caroline so they'd be moved to the front of the pyramid...

And although Dawn was working, Caroline wasn't mad. She was slightly disappointed, but not mad. Dawn was saving her money for baby essentials, even though Liz had informed Dawn she'd get her whatever Dawn or the baby needed.

If it was anyone else, Liz wouldn't have offered to do so much. But this was Dawn. The sweet, kind girl who had been best friends with Caroline ever since the first day of kindergarten.

But Caroline knew Dawn was too stubborn to accept any money from anyone. Dawn had a tendency to feel guilty about taking money off Liz, meaning Dawn would practically force money into Liz's hands which would reluctantly be put towards the household bills.

Liz had actually spoken to Caroline about renovating Bill Forbes' old, home office which was no longer used, into a room for Dawn and her baby. Currently both Dawn and Caroline were sharing a single bed, which wasn't ideal when Dawn was pregnant and constantly wiggled around in her sleep.

Seeing Stefan alone, Caroline took a deep breath and strutted towards the new boy. Clearing her throat, Caroline jumped at the opportunity and placed a nimble hand on Stefan's muscled torso.

"Hey! There you are. Have you been down to the falls yet? Because they are really cool at night. And I can show you...if you want." Caroline trailed off, fluttering her lashes seducingly

Stefan bit his lip, practically smelling the large amount alcohol which was currently radiating through Caroline's blood.

"I think you've had too much to drink." Stefan replied, furrowing his brows as Caroline grinned sheepishly.

Smirking, Caroline bit her lower lip. "Well, of course I have. So—" Caroline trailed of but was cut off by Stefan's blunt and rather harsh comment.

"Caroline. You and me, it's not gonna' happen. Sorry. " Stefan replied, wincing at how harsh he had put it as he walked away from Caroline and towards a waiting Elena.

Caroline's grin dropped. Of course... Why would anyone want her when they could have Elena?

 **...**

A bright smile found its way onto Elena's face as Stefan approached her, holding two drinks in his hands. Elena was beyond relieved to find that Stefan hadn't ditched her. She'd been way to depressing and then talking about Matt... Elena was surprised she hadn't scared him away, most men would of ran miles once she began talking about her ex and dead parents. But Stefan was different.

Passing the drink to Elena, Stefan took a sip of his own as Elena murmured a small 'thank you' and took a little sip.

"I was wondering who abducted you, but now I know." Elena admitted, giving Stefan a friendly smile as she looked at Caroline, who seemed rather upset as she made her way towards Bonnie.

Elena immediately felt guilty at her rather harsh comment. Caroline wasn't a bad person, and although she had a habit of saying the wrong things, she was one of the kindest and most loyal people Elena had met. Everyone knew Caroline had stuck by Dawn's side through Dawn's pregnancy and throughout Shelia Ellis' over-dramatic religious rants.

"Is she like that with, uh, all the guys?" Stefan asked curiously, glancing back at the blonde who was now talking to Bonnie.

Shaking her head, Elena smiled. "No. Your fresh meat. She'll back off eventually." Elena shrugged, however before Stefan could reply, Elena's brother caught her eye.

"Hmm. God, you gotta be kidding me!"

Stefan's brows creased in concern. "What is it?" He asked, scanning the area briefly as Elena kept her eyes on her lanky, younger brother.

"My brother."

The younger siblings' green eyes followed Elena's gaze. "The drunk one?" Stefan questioned as Elena's smile dropped as she realized her brother was completely and utterly wasted.

Nodding, Elena bit her lip. "That would be the one. Excuse me."

Before Elena could leave, Stefan placed a hand on her arm. "Need some help?" Stefan offered politely, arching a brow as Elena shook her head.

"Trust me, you're not going to want to witness this." Elena replied before rushing towards her drunken brother. With regard to Elena's wishes, Stefan stayed where he was.

"Jeremy! Jeremy!"

Running to her brother, Elena grabbed his arm roughly and narrowed her eyes at the intoxicated teen. "Jeremy, where the hell are you going?"

Scoffing, Jeremy shook her grip off. "I don't want to hear it!"

"Yeah, well, too bad!" Elena snapped as Jeremy walked ahead.

As he did, Jeremy stumbled as his eyes landed on Vicki's unconscious, bleeding body. "Vicki? No! Oh, my god, it's Vicki!"

Elena's mouth dropped in shock as she looked at the bleeding body of her ex-boyfriend's sister.

"Oh, my god!"

Jeremy jumped to Vicki's side, glancing at her bleeding neck as he gazed at her stiff figure. Usually Vicki's skin was a flawless gold which glowed in the light, but now her skin had a ghostly tinge. Pasty and almost lifeless: Vicki was bleeding out.

"No!"

Turning to the party, Elena's shrill voice thundered over the music. "Somebody help!" Elena shrieked, panicked as she glanced back at her sobbing brother as he clutched the pale body of the girl he loved.

"Vicki? Vicki, what the hell?!" Matt yelled, dropping his drink and running towards the girl.

"What happened to her?" Tyler asked, his eyes wide as a large crowd of people gathered around the bleeding girl.

"Somebody, call an ambulance!"

"Everybody back up, give her some space!"

Elena's eyes landed on her neck. "It's her neck. Something bit her. She's losing a lot of blood."

"Put this on her neck."

Accepting the cloth, Matt pressed the clothe to his sisters' neck. "Vicki, Vicki, come on, open your eyes, look at me."

 **…**

Sighing to herself, Dawn found herself rubbing her eyes as she tried not to yawn. Dawn was beyond the feeling of tiredness, she was officially fatigued and felt like she could pass out any moment. Dawn was also stressed. School was also constantly chewing at her mind. But also, _he_ was on her mind... Dawn shivered at the thought of the vile man and tried to focus on her job.

Tightening her apron, Dawn made sure her bump was no longer visible before making her way towards the bar.

As Dawn got to the bar, Dawn felt her face flush as she collided with a firm body. Looking up, Dawn was about to apologize however the words got stuck in her throat as she found herself looking at the most beautiful man she'd ever seen.

The stranger must of stood around 5'9, making Dawn's 5'4 stature look even smaller than Dawn actually was. He had a fair complexion with olive undertones and a strong bone structure. The mans chiselled bone structure resulted in high cheekbones and a solid jaw line. The stranger's hair was a dark brown that could of been classed as black, along with the most striking, intensive blue eyes Dawn had ever seen. His blue eyes contrasted strikingly against his creamy skin, darkened lashes and thick, arched eyebrows. He was clad in a leather jacket, dark jeans and a dark shirt. The dark clothing discriminated heavenly against his pale flesh, giving him an eerie, mysterious aura.

"Sorry..." Dawn managed to squeak out, attempting to swerve around Damon as he reached out to grip Dawn's arm.

"Uh." Dawn trailed off, confused as he gave her a charming smile. The man looked like he'd walked straight off the pages of one of Caroline's favourite fashion magazines.

Underneath the charming, seemingly friendly smile, Dawn detected mischief as his fingers weaved around her wrist. "Hi there."

All of Dawn's previous suspicions disappeared as she practically melted in front of the handsome man. Glancing at his long fingers which were still snug around Dawn's wrist, Dawn couldn't help but flush red.

"Uh, hi... Can I help you?" Dawn asked awkwardly, avoiding eye contact with the man as Damon chuckled.

The beautiful girl radiated innocence. She'd be the perfect snack. A pretty, shy blonde. Mmmm.

"-Cus' I'm not allowed to serve alcohol. Underage." Dawn rambled, looking towards the floor as her cheeks somehow flushed from a pink to red.

Chuckling, Damon couldn't help but feel refreshed by her sweet, sweet innocence. "No it's not that. I just wanted to talk to a pretty girl."

With wide eyes, Dawn looked up in alarm, reminding Damon of a doe in headlights as her head snapped towards the bar. "Vicki's off tonight." Dawn murmured as Damon once again chuckled.

Dawn frowned at this, why was he constantly chuckling? Feeling self-conscious, Dawn's cheeks made no sign of returning to their natural colour as she looked back towards the floor.

"I mean you." Damon smirked as Dawn's eyes widened.

Although Damon was amused by the blonde's awkwardness, he found himself surprised that she wasn't use to being called a pretty girl. With her sweet innocence and beauty, Damon couldn't help but feel she rivalled Katherine's beauty. However, Katherine had never had the glowing innocence in her eyes, unlike this little blonde.

But this wasn't the only thing that intrigued Damon, something was… Different about the girl. Although she looked like a normal human and smelt like a normal human, something about her seemed… Supernatural.

Damon had seen her in the cemetery and witnessed the whole scene with the flower. Also, he noticed how his crow was practically drawn to her, the whole thing was weird. Damon made a mental reminded to ask his Bree about the girl, maybe she'd know.

"Oh... Uh, well thanks."

Damon was surprised her cheeks could grow any redder.

"I'm Damon."

"Dawn." She replied, fighting a small smile off as her stomach fluttered.

"Nice to meet you, Dawnie."

 **...**

Glancing at Stefan, Zach's eyebrows furrowed in concerned as Stefan paced. Someone had been attacked at the party, and it wasn't a normal attack. It was a vampire attack. And it defiantly wasn't him... Stefan had a sneaking suspicious who the attacker was. But Stefan truly hoped, scratch that, Stefan prayed it wasn't who he thought it was…

It _couldn't_ be his brother... Stefan hadn't seen Damon in years and anyways, Damon hated small towns. So it couldn't be him, right? But then again, with Elena in town...

"What's going on?" Zach asked.

Stefan sighed, "Someone else was attacked tonight, Zach, and it wasn't me." Stefan replied before heading up to his bedroom before Zach could reply. Stefan really couldn't do with his great-great-great-great nephews accusations at this moment.

As Stefan entered his bedroom, his green eyes landed on the large black crow that was casually sitting on his windowsill.

"Damon."

Appearing on the balcony, Damon smirked devilishly. "Hello, brother."

Stefan continued to scowl at his brother as dread filled his body. Although he and his brother was close once, the two couldn't stand each other now, all because of Katherine. And yet Stefan didn't regret his relationship with Katherine. Being with Katherine had been... Magical. But Stefan hated how she had become between him and Damon.

Glancing at the dark crow, Stefan frowned. "Crow's a bit much, don't you think?"

Absent-mindedly, Damon shrugged, a smirk still on his lips as Damon tugged his leather jacket off. "Wait till you see what I can do with the fog." Damon bragged.

"When'd you get here?"

Damon continued to smirk at his brother. "Well, I couldn't miss your first day at school. Your hair's different. I like it."

Shaking his head, Stefan frowned. "It's been 15 years, Damon."

Grimacing, Damon's face crumpled into a look of mock disgust as he remembered the nineties. "Thank God. I couldn't take another day of the nineties. That horrible grunge look? Did not suit you. Remember, Stefan, it's important to stay away from fads." Damon mocked as Stefan rolled his eyes and decided to get straight to the point.

"Why are you here?"

Damon smirked. "I miss my little brother." He lied as Stefan rolled his eyes.

"You hate small towns. It's boring. There's nothing for you to do." Stefan pointed out as Damon let a low whistle.

"I've managed to keep myself busy."

"You know, you left that girl alive tonight. That's very clumsy of you." Stefan scowled as Damon tutted.

"Ah. That can be a problem...for you."

Having enough of Damon's pointless chatter, Stefan's eyes narrowed. "Why are you here now?"

Damon shrugged. " I could ask you the same question. However, I'm fairly certain your answer can be summed up all into one little word...Elena. Mmmm. And that pretty blonde girl... Dawn, right? She looks... Tasty. Y'know, I was watching her in the cemetery, seems like our little blonde is gifted. She's very valuable."

Stefan saw red as he lunged for his brother, throwing him off the balcony. As Damon fell from the balcony, Stefan debated on what to do. But eventually, Stefan jumped off the balcony, frowning broodingly when he saw Damon was no longer behind him.

If Stefan wasn't a vampire, he would have jumped at the sound of Damon's voice. "I was impressed. I give it a six. Missing style, but I was pleasantly surprised. Very good with the whole face...thing. It was good."

Turning to face his brother, Stefan's features dropped at the sight of his brother behind him. Damon still had the arrogant look on his face which seemed to seep out of his voice. It was apparent that Damon hadn't changed over the years…

"You know, it's all fun and games, Damon, huh? But wherever you go, people die." Stefan snapped.

The corners of Damon's lips twitched in amusement. "That's a given."

Stefan shook his head, scowling. He couldn't let Dawn get hurt. He couldn't let Elena get hurt… He couldn't let the residents of Mystic Falls get hurt by his brother. Stefan wouldn't allow it. Not here, not now.

"Not here. I won't allow it."

Damon's smirk only rose. "I take that as an invitation."

"Damon, please. After all these years, can't we just give it a rest?" Stefan begged.

Letting out an obnoxious chuckle, Damon shook his head. "I promised you an eternity of misery, so I'm just keeping my word."

"Just stay away from Dawn and Elena."

 **...**

Giggling to herself, Dawn placed a glass of water in front of Caroline as herself and Bonnie tried to sober up the Sheriff's daughter. Rubbing Caroline's back, Dawn smiled and pulled a chair up to the table.

"Drink up." Dawn encouraged, giving Care a smile as the blonde slowly sipped the water.

Dawn's shift was about finished, meaning she couldn't get grief from Robert for sitting down. Glancing at her watch, Bonnie realized she'd soon break her curfew.

"Are you sober yet?" Bonnie asked as Caroline looked up.

Fluttering her lashes, the girl simply shook her head. "No."

Sighing, Bonnie bit her lower lip. If the witch didn't get back in time, then her dad would be beyond pissed. "Keep drinking. I gotta get you home. I gotta get me home." Bonnie frowned as Dawn gave the girl a smile.

"I can take Caroline back if you need to go." Dawn replied, taking her apron off as she slipped on her coat that had been hanging on the back of Caroline's chair.

"Thanks." Bonnie breathed, standing as she slipped her own coat on.

"It means a lot." Bonnie admitted as Dawn smiled.

"My dad use to freak out if I was even a minute later than my curfew." Dawn admitted, wincing slightly at the memory. "And it wasn't even a late curfew, it was like 8:30PM!" Dawn added giggling slightly, as Bonnie grinned and let out a laugh. Maybe she had judged Dawn too soon...

"Well, I should go." Bonnie murmured, pulling her car keys out from her pocket as Dawn nodded in agreement.

Before Bonnie could leave, Caroline lightly gripped her arm. "Why didn't he go for me? You know, how come the guys that I want never want me?" Caroline blurted out as Dawn's brows furrowed in confusion.

"I'm not touching that." Bonnie insisted as Caroline looked down sadly.

"Care..." Dawn frowned, looking down at her best friend sadly.

"I'm inappropriate. I always say the wrong thing. And... Elena always says the right thing. She doesn't even try! And he just picks her. And she's always the one that everyone picks, for everything. And I try so hard, and... I'm never the one."

Dawn frowned, she'd talk about it to sober Caroline, but she'd comfort drunk Caroline.

"It's not a competition, Caroline." Bonnie sighed, looking completely defeated as she tried to decide what to say.

Caroline shook her head stubbornly and crossed her arms.

"Yeah, it is."

Glancing between them, Dawn bit her lip. "Bonnie, you can, uh go." Dawn replied, smiling slightly as Bonnie glanced at Caroline one last time before walking out the doors of the Grill.

Turning to Caroline, Dawn pulled her best friend into a hug. Although Dawn hated physical contact due to the memories it produced, Dawn knew her best friend needed comfort.

"Come here Care." Dawn frowned, rubbing Caroline's back as the insecure girl responded by burying her face in the crook of Dawn's neck. Due to the amount of alcohol Caroline had consumed, the blonde failed to notice Dawn's tense posture.

"That's not true. Any of it. Caroline Forbes, you are the most beautiful, sweetest and funniest person I have ever met. Any guy would be lucky to have you and if this guy is too stupid to see this, then stuff him!" Dawn breathed as Caroline smiled, touched and reassured by Dawn's words.

"Now, I just need to get my bag from back. Here's your car keys."

Dawn passed the car keys to Caroline. Although she wasn't insured to drive Caroline's car, Dawn would drive the two back. It wasn't like it was far.

As Caroline stumbled out the Grill and climbed in her car, Dawn went to get her bag, all while not noticing the painful blue eyes that were boring into her back.

 **...**

With her bag hanging loosely over her shoulder, Dawn swiftly waved goodbye to Olivia who was cleaning the bar. As she got out the double doors, Dawn winced as the harsh breeze pricked her bare flesh. A lot was currently on Dawn's mind as she quietly closed the Grill doors, making sure the annoying bell didn't go off.

Despite the fact she had only talked to the handsome stranger from earlier, Dawn couldn't get him out of her mind. Just thinking of Damon made her blush.

Scowling to herself, Dawn practically cursed at her stupidity. Why would Damon like someone like her? Dawn had never believed in perfection till she saw Damon. The man was the perfect package. He was handsome, charming, funny and friendly.

When Dawn conversed with him, she had made sure she had hide her bump. Dawn was frightened to scare him away. She hadn't experienced any attention from attractive men. Well, Dawn had experienced next to nothing attention from any men!

The only attention she had received was attention she didn't want...

Glancing over at Caroline's car, Dawn smiled when she saw a passed out Caroline, lounging in the passenger seat.

Dawn mentally reminded herself to talk to Caroline when the blonde was sobered up. Dawn had no idea why Caroline was so insecure. Did the blonde cheerleader not see how amazing she was?

The blonde cheerleader was the sort of girl who could walk up to anyone and have a conversation with a complete stranger. Caroline was constantly organizing multiple social events, was friends with everyone in school and was in the running for Miss Mystic Falls. Caroline was everything Dawn wished she was. Caroline was outgoing, athletic and beautiful.

As Dawn approached the car, she felt a shiver run down her back as she ignored the feeling of being watched. Seeing a shadow in the corner of her eye, Dawn let out a shaky breath as she felt adrenaline rush through her veins.

Without a second thought, Dawn power-walked to the car door but found herself slammed against the brick wall of the alley besides the Grill. Breathing heavily, Dawn whimpered as Damon's vibrant orbs glared into her own.

Bulging veins appeared beneath his blue orbs as sharp canines retracted from a pair of gums. W-What was he?

Just as Damon was about to plunge his deadly fangs into the tender flesh of the gorgeous blonde, it was then Damon felt her swollen abdomen pressing against his stomach. Damon closed his eyes, focusing on the two heartbeats that was coming from Dawn's body... One was her own, but the other was coming from her stomach...

 _Thump, thump, thump._

 _Thump, thump, thump._

Both heartbeats drummed in a synchronised rhythm, pulsing in fear as Damon released her hands that had previously been held above her head. Clutching her wide hips, Damon winced as memories of his darkest times came back to him as he recalled the pregnant woman he had once drained.

As Damon stared at the face that had previously belonged to the beautiful blonde, he shivered as Dawn's face morphed into the bloody face of his previous pregnant victim.

"Please." Dawn murmured, her hands protectively shielding her belly as Damon gently cupped her face.

"You'll forget this."

As a thick landscape of darkness fogged Dawn's vision, the blonde found herself perplexed as she glanced around the dim alley, finding herself alone. What had happened?

* * *

 **Raise your hand if you have ever felt personally victimized by William Tanner.**

 ***raises hand***

 **Lol. I was editing and didn't realise how much it sounded like mean girls when I wrote it :'). Anyways, I am truly overwhelmed by the sheer amount of support this fic is receiving. I mean... Fifteen reviews for one chapter is amazing! Thank you guys so much, I literally cant describe how amazing you all are! I'm sorry if there are any mistakes in this chapter.**

 **Plus, in response to Vany's review:), I took your advice and changed the description a little. I know what you mean, reading back I totally agree. Plus, I saw in one fanfiction and the OC was best friends with Bonnie, and someone reviewed on it saying that they were glad Caroline wasn't the best friend in the fic as its a little stereotypical. I don't know if it is, but I've always thought Caroline deserved someone more loyal as you said, Elena and Bonnie can be a little cruel to poor Care-Bear! And your English is great, don't worry about it:) Thanks for reviewing.**

 **Please review, favourite and follow:)**


	3. t h r e e

**1X02 The night of the comet**

 **Dawn Ellis played by Dianna Agron**

After an intense battle for covers with an unconscious Caroline, Dawn eventually turned on her side. Letting out an exhausted sigh, Dawn pulled the little covers she had, over her rather hibernal form. Even though Dawn had managed to get _some_ covers, Dawn's blonde best friend was still star-fishing in the single bed.

Despite the fact sleep was the solitary necessitate she craved, Dawn still found herself struggling to sleep. Anxiously crossing her arms over her bloated abdomen, Dawn admired the saffron patterns that panned across the thick plaster walls.

Although Caroline knew Dawn's sleeping pattern was a little disorganised, Dawn's blonde best was unaware that this was because of a nostalgic, rather scaring memory.

Peering at her comatosed best friend, Dawn sighed. Caroline's lips were parted as soft, lengthy snores left the thin puckered lips.

As much as Dawn didn't want to admit it, the blonde knew she couldn't stay at Caroline's for much longer. Although Dawn didn't know where she would go, Dawn did know her arrangement with the Forbes' wasn't working.

The blonde loved staying with her best friend who was like a sister to her, and with the woman who was the mother she never had, but Dawn knew it wasn't fair on Caroline nor Liz.

Knowing she'd have to pick up even more shifts at the Grill, Dawn bit the inside of her cheeks as her hands landed on her rather prominent baby bump. Maybe she'd get some sleep before her shift…. It was an optimistic but unrealistic thought.

Shifting around to lay on her back, Dawn's hazel irises were engrossed on the ceiling as her thoughts voyaged back to the guy at the grill: Damon.

Although Dawn wasn't very experienced in the whole 'boy department', the blonde couldn't deny that thinking of the blue eyed stranger made her stomach turn in a gooey, cliché way. The feeling honestly scared the life out of Dawn. She had never felt like this about a boy… During her previous shift, Dawn had spent the entire time talking to Damon.

Dawn had briefly gotten to know the man and so far he seemed perfect. But so did _he_ … Shivering at the thought of the blond adolescence, Dawn shook the thought away. The last thing Dawn wanted was to think about him.

However, Dawn had to admit that something seemed... Off, about the beautiful stranger. So far Damon seemed like the whole package. Damon was beguilingly handsome, funny, caring and brave. Something had to be wrong with him. Surely? No man nor woman was born without flaws.

Dawn's mind briefly flashed back to when she was living at home. Some nights she'd have to reread the Bible, due to her father's persistence for her and Abraham to read to the church.

" _Ecclesiastes 7:20: Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins._ " Dawn quoted, her voice barely audible so she didn't wake the sleeping fair-haired girl besides her.

Dawn was swiftly snapped out of her thoughts when Caroline turned over and knocked Dawn out the bed, causing the blonde to tumble to the floor.

Groaning softly, Dawn glanced up at Caroline from the ground. The cheerleader was now spread out on the bed, making sure that there was no way Dawn would be able to lay back down.

Without uttering a word, Dawn pulled herself up from the floor and grabbed a blanket from the bottom of the bed. The pregnant blonde draped the blanket over her shoulders before heading down the stairs, knowing she'd be spending the rest of the night as a resident on the Forbes' family couch.

 **...**

Draping a fluffy towel around her saturated form, Dawn sighed as she glanced behind her, checking briefly to make sure that she hadn't dripped puddles of water on the floor. When she was satisfied that there were no puddles in sight, Dawn rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

Dawn _despised_ mornings. Her family had always been early risers. Pastor Gabriel and Shelia Ellis would wake up early on a Sunday for service, while getting up at 6:00AM for the rest of the week. Abraham would also wake early to host study groups, choir practice, school clubs and on a Sunday, he'd wake up at 5:00AM to prepare his choir and help Gabriel and Shelia set up the church.

As Dawn continued to dry herself off, she couldn't help but let her mind wonder to poor Vicki Donovan. Dawn's co-worker had been attacked and was currently in hospital. And although Dawn wasn't close to Vicki, Dawn had decided that she'd take some flowers to injured girl before school.

Releasing the towel from her grip, Dawn's newly dry body was as exposed as the day she was born. Insecurely, Dawn quickly pulled on some underwear and an old white bra.

Dawn had already laid her outfit out before showering, so the clothes were currently waiting on a warm radiator. As she made her way towards the warm clothing, Dawn paused in front of the mirror. Her pretty features twisted into ones of disgust as she looked at her body in the mirror.

Dawn had never been body confident, but she had been comfortable with her petite physique. But as Dawn stared into the mirror, she felt her stomach spiral at the sight of herself.

Pregnancy was taking a large toll on Dawn's body. The girl was only thirteen weeks pregnant and yet she looked like she'd swallowed a small football.

Being thirteen weeks pregnant, Dawn was entering her second trimester. Her first trimester side effects should have been decreasing, but Dawn found they were only getting worse...

Only a week ago, Caroline had been panicking when she realized that Dawn would soon be entering her second trimester. After all, the second trimester didn't get its reputation as the easiest or most comfortable trimester.

Pausing in front of the mirror, Dawn scowled at the sight of her round tummy. Although there were little stretch marks, Dawn made a mental note to buy some palmers cocoa butter. She had read somewhere that it did magic to reduce stretchmarks.

But her little bulging belly and light stretch marks weren't the only thing that caught Dawn's eyes. Dawn's breasts had increased in side and were achingly tender, while veins began to sprout visibly across her skin. She looked hideous…

However, this wasn't the only thing that was on Dawn's mind. Although Dawn had only had sex once, which hadn't been a pleasant experience, she found herself hormonal, and that petrified Dawn.

Although most of Dawn's symptoms were pretty common, it didn't mean it made the pregnancy any easier. Dawn was constantly fatigued, which didn't help in school or work, she was also beginning to have rather strange food cravings and found herself wondering into the kitchen late at night.

Also Dawn was having heartburn and indigestion a lot, which had worried her previously, however Meredith Fell had reassured Dawn that it was normal.

In the corner of her eye, Dawn tensed when noticed her side projected in the rectangular mirror. A pink puckered scar marred the smooth flesh of Dawn's lower back.

Immediately, Dawn turned away and blocked the scar from her vision. Shaking her head, Dawn frowned and began to pull a floral blue dress on before slipping into a simple white cardigan.

 **...**

Running the flat iron over her naturally straight locks, Elena furrowed her perfectly shaped brows together as she glanced at Bonnie on her monitor, confused. The two best friends were currently video chatting as they both got ready for school.

"Really?" Elena asked Bonnie, clamping the flat iron down on the tips of her hair.

Nodding through the monitor, Bonnie ran a nimble hand through her mane of tight black curls. "Yeah, she seemed really nice..." Bonnie admitted, thinking back to when she spoke to Dawn at the Grill.

"Well Caroline is best friends with her..." Elena trailed off, placing the flat iron down on a heatproof mat before swiftly turning the iron off. The two couldn't imagine Caroline being friends with someone too horrible...

Applying a thin layer of lip-gloss to her lips, Bonnie briefly glanced at her reflection as she turned back to the monitor. "Yeah... I mean, maybe we've been too harsh." Bonnie admitted.

Elena frowned. What if Dawn was really nice? The two girls had openly judged the blonde with the rest of the school, despite the fact that only Caroline had gotten to know her. A flood of guilty surged through Elena as she bit her lower lip.

"Maybe we should invite her to lunch with us today? We could get to know her. And she wouldn't feel as awkward if Caroline would be there." Elena suggested, picking up a hairbrush.

Usually Dawn would eat her lunch in the library alone while Caroline sat with Elena and Bonnie. And as much as Caroline insisted, Dawn never ate her lunch at the 'popular table', instead she ate it alone.

"Yeah." Bonnie agreed as the two shared smiles.

The plan was official. They were going to get to know the real Dawn Ellis.

 **...**

Clutching the bunch of colourful tulips in her palm, Dawn timidly knocked on Vicki's hospital door. The door immediately swung open revealing an exhausted looking Matt, who had yet to glance at her.

"Mom! I knew you'd come-" Matt stopped midsentence, his smile dropping as he noticed Dawn standing there. Dawn tensed and bit her lower lip apprehensively.

"Sorry. I thought you were my mom." Matt replied, giving Dawn a sad smile as Dawn nodded uncomfortably.

Dawn noticeably winced as the memory of Matt stopping outside her house came back to her mind. Shelia had been throwing clothes out the window while Dawn sobbed. It hadn't been a pleasant experience…

Holding the door open for Dawn, Matt smiled. "Can I help you?"

Just by looking into the boy's deep, blue orbs, Dawn could tell that he was not okay.

"I just thought I'd, uh, stop by and bring these." Dawn murmured awkwardly, passing the lilac tulips to Matt who smiled and placed them on Vicki's bedside table.

Turning back to Dawn, Matt awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn't know you and Vicki were friends." Matt admitted, trying to spark a conversation up as Dawn flushed slightly.

"Uh, no. We just... Work together." Dawn admitted sheepishly, still flushed red as Matt nodded.

Tension was thick in the air as Dawn shifted. "I, uh, s-s-should go." Dawn stuttered, flushing even brighter as Matt nodded.

"Yeah..."

"Um, okay then."

 **...**

Rubbing her eyes, Dawn tucked a wavy strand of honey blonde hair behind her ear as Tanner droned on, on, and on... Clicking the top of her pen, Dawn began to doodle over her notebook as Tanner continued his pointless, boring lecture.

"Originally discovered nearly 5 centuries ago, it hasn't been over Mystic Falls in over 145 years. Now, the comet will be its brightest right after dusk during tomorrow's celebration. Are we bothering you, Mr. Salvatore? Ms. Gilbert?"

Looking up briefly, Dawn noticed that Elena Gilbert and Stefan: the new boy, had been staring at each other. However, before Tanner could continue his lecture, the class bell rang.

Gathering her things up with vast speed, Dawn rushed out the class before Tanner could request to see her. She knew the teacher wanted to talk about her dropping grades. _Again._

As Dawn hurried through the corridors, she found herself crashing into Elena Gilbert. Dawn's endless amount of school supplies, which Dawn had been foolishly carrying in her arms, were now sprawled out across the rather filthy floor of the school hall. The rowdy crowd of pupils completely ignored Dawn as she struggled to collect her stuff. People continued to plough through the halls, not bothering to help Dawn nor watch where they were walking as they trampled over Dawn's stationary equipment.

While Dawn struggled to bend down, Elena quickly helped the champagne haired girl pick up her school books and equipment.

"I'm so sorry!" Elena apologised, recalling what Bonnie had said to her that morning.

Blushing in embarrassment, Dawn accepted the books off Elena as she nervously nibbled on her lower lip. "It's, uh, fine." Dawn murmured timidly.

"So, me and Bonnie was wondering if you wanted to eat lunch with us and Caroline today? If you don't want to you don't have to, but it be fun if you do." Elena blurted out, radiating a healthy glow as she gave the girl a welcoming smile. Dawn's eyes widened in surprise.

In pure confusion, Dawn's brows furrowed together. Was this some sort of trick? What did Elena Gilbert and Bonnie Bennett want with her? Like Caroline, the two were beautiful, kind and funny. Dawn would stick out like a sore thumb sat in between the three.

And anyways, it was bad enough that Dawn was best friends with one beauty, if Dawn made friends with Bonnie and Elena, well, Dawn might as well stick a paper bag over her head. Dawn quickly frowned, why was she thinking about being friends with these two. They had only asked her to eat lunch with them, not sign a friendship contract!

That was when it hit Dawn, was this a trick? Some sort of form of humiliation? Dawn immediately shook the idea away; Caroline wouldn't do that to her.

"I don't know..." Dawn murmured, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as her pulse quickened.

Dawn was now beyond anxious. Her palms were sweaty and her heart was going at ten to a dozen...

"Well it would be really nice if you'd sit with us."

 **...**

Walking down the halls with a sway in her step, Caroline gave Bonnie a confused glance as the brunette explained everything that her grams had told the youngest Bennett witch.

Clearing her throat, Caroline tossed her long blonde hair behind her. "I'm confused. Are you psychic or clairvoyant?"

Slightly amused by Caroline, Bonnie smiled. "Technically, Grams says I'm a witch. My ancestors were these really cool Salem witch chicks or something. Grams tried to explain it all, but she was looped on the liquor so I kinda' tuned out. Crazy family, yes. Witches? I don't think so."

Recalling the guy from last night, Caroline smiled. When Dawn had been getting her coat, Caroline had met eyes with a mysterious handsome stranger with crystal blue eyes, pale flawless skin and dark hair. Elena could have Stefan Salvatore as long as Caroline got the man from the Grill.

"Yeah, well, feel free to conjure up the name and number of that guy from last night." Care smirked as Bonnie grinned.

"I didn't see him as I left before you and Dawn did. But, why didn't you just talk to him?" Bonnie asked curiously. Usually, Caroline could go up to any guy and get them wrapped around her little finger, but it seemed that Stefan's rejection had knocked Caroline's confidence.

"I don't know. I was drunk." Caroline claimed, using this as an excuse as she frowned, thinking back to Stefan's harsh words.

Shrugging the subject off, Bonnie decided to tell Caroline about hers and Elena's plan to get Dawn to sit with them at lunch. "So, me and Elena have invited Dawn to eat lunch with us." Bonnie finally admitted.

Caroline's thin brows scrunched together. Elena and Bonnie had never been remotely interested in Dawnie before. Why were they now? "Dawn? As in Dawn Ellis? As in my Dawnie?" Caroline exclaimed, wondering if the two meant a different Dawn.

Chuckling, Bonnie nodded. "Yes, Dawn Ellis." Bonnie confirmed.

Although Caroline knew Elena and Bonnie would never do anything to hurt anyone, the cheerleader couldn't help but feel suspicious. Dawn was commonly the centre of gossip and was only friends with Caroline. So why now?

"Why?"

Bonnie frowned. "When you were drunk of your ass, I spoke to her a little. She was sweet and all we've done is judge her... We want to give her a chance." Bonnie clarified as Caroline's vibrant orbs lit up in excitement.

"This is going to be so fun!"

 **...**

Leaning back on her chair, Dawn ran her fingers through her hair as she tried to stop her brain from exploding. And as Dawn sat in French class, there was only one thing on Dawn's mind. Why the hell had she chosen to take French class?

Back when Dawn was emotionally stable she had aced the class. Okay, maybe she hadn't aced the class, but Dawn had more time to study back then. However, now Dawn could barely remember the days of the week in French...

As the teacher pointed to the foreign, unrecognisable words on the board, Dawn cursed her former self. Why had she given in so easily when her father told her to take French? " _It would be good on your college application, Dawn."_ Her father had preached to her as she unwillingly listened.

"Psssst." Turning to her side, Dawn blushed when she noticed Stefan staring at her. "The answers _Octobre_." Stefan explained, pointing to the first question on the quiz.

Giving him a grateful smile, Dawn scribbled in the answer. "I haven't, uh, done French for ages." Dawn admitted sheepishly, putting her pencil back on the desk top as she tucked a strand of blonde behind her small ears.

"French is something I learnt over the years." Stefan shrugged, giving Dawn a small smile.

Stefan's words were a complete understatement; Stefan was practically fluent in French. After his ripper days, Stefan often used to try and distract himself by reading and learning. So the elegant language of France came naturally to him.

After all, all a vampire had was time.

"So, I heard Elena invite you to lunch today." Stefan mentioned as Dawn cocked an eyebrow suspiciously. Had he been eavesdropping into hers and Elena's conversation?

"Sorry." Stefan apologised as Dawn shook her head and nervously smiled.

"It's, uh, fine-" Dawn reassured the vampire, glancing back to her sheet as she circled a random answer.

Peering at Dawn's sheet, Stefan gently pried the pencil from Dawn's grip and rubbed the answer out. He circled the second one across as Dawn blushed. "As I said, I haven't really done French since last year. I never liked the subject." Dawn admitted, glancing warily at the teacher who had yet to notice the two pupils talking.

Furrowing his brows together, Stefan looked at her in confusion. "Why did you take it if you don't like it?" Stefan asked curiously as Dawn's smile dried up.

"My dad... He wanted me to take it so it would look good on my college application." Dawn murmured coyly as Stefan frowned.

Leaning forward, confusion brewed in Stefan's forest green eyes. "Why don't you just drop it? If you don't enjoy doing French, is it really worth the stress?" Stefan suggested.

Letting out a quiet bitter chuckle, Dawn shook her head. "What? And disappoint my dad even more? I'm already in the deep end with him, why throw myself to the sharks when there already circling me?" Dawn murmured, frowning as her hand found their way onto her stomach. Dawn's face flushed as she became overwhelmed

Before Stefan could say anything else, Dawn had turned to the front and began to incorrectly fill in her French test, while practically praying that she'd pass. Stefan watched as she did this, clearly the girl was embarrassed by her small outburst.

 **...**

Glancing at her ex-boyfriend in sheer concern, Elena listened to Matt talk about his sister. Apparently Matt's mother, Kelly Donovan, hadn't come to see her daughter. Elena truly felt for Matt. Although he had his family, in a way he was just as lonely as Elena, perhaps he was even lonelier.

Both of the two had their siblings but while Elena had her aunt, Matt had his mother. But there was one large difference, Kelly Donovan was never there for her kids, while Elena's aunt Jenna cared for her niece and nephew like they were kids of her own.

Frowning deeply, Matt met Elena's lovely doe orbs. "They're keeping her overnight to make sure there's no infection, but she should be able to come home tomorrow."

"That's good news." Elena agreed, giving him a hopeful smile.

Nodding swiftly, Matt let out an exhausted sigh. "Yeah."

Although Elena had never particularly got along with Vicki, Elena knew that Matt thought the world of his sister. And just by seeing the thick, black bags under his eyes, Elena knew that Matt was _not_ okay.

When she had been dating Matt, Elena noticed that he had always tried to keep things together. The blonde was always putting people before himself, like Elena did, but Elena also knew that Matt always tried to act like he was okay, even when he wasn't.

"The weirdest yet sweetest thing happened this morning at the hospital though." Matt admitted as Elena raised a brow.

"What?"

"Dawn Ellis came with some flowers. Apparently she's gonna' cover Vicki's shifts and give the money to Vicki." Matt admitted. The blond football player was clearly grateful for Dawn's help. Vicki probably would have been fired if it wasn't for Dawn covering her shifts, and the two really needed the money for the monthly bills. It wasn't like their mother payed the bills. No, Kelly Donovan was too busy travelling across different states with different men.

Elena smiled at this. Her and Bonnie had _defiantly_ misjudged Dawn. "Wow... I feel so bad... Me and Bonnie were literally calling her a slut the other morning and she was really kind to Bonnie, me, and now Vicki." Elena murmured as Matt frowned.

"I think she's just shy. Don't feel bad." Matt tried as Elena shook her head.

"Me and Bonnie invited her to eat with us and Caroline. She's mostly attached to Caroline's hip so hopefully she'll come..." Elena murmured as an awkward silence overran the conversation.

"Did you get in touch with your mom?" Elena asked as Matt scowled.

Shaking his head, Matt's lips stayed in the same annoyed scowl. "Called and left a message. She's in Virginia Beach with her boyfriend, so...we'll see how long it takes her to come rushing home." Matt scoffed as Elena's brows furrowed together.

Kelly Donovan was _not_ made to be a mom...

"Vicki's lucky that she's ok." Elena admitted, trying to steer the conversation away from Kelly as Matt nodded.

As Elena ran a hand through her straight locks, the two failed to notice Stefan who was sitting on a table, listening into the conversation with his supernatural hearing.

"I know, and now there's talk of some missing campers." Matt frowned as Stefan's lips curled into a thick scowl. Damon...

Stefan honestly thought his brother just liked to ruin his life. The younger sibling was convinced that Damon had his humanity off. Why else would he threaten a pregnant, innocent woman? Oh yeah, he's a monster, that's why.

"Did she say what kind of animal it was that attacked her?" Elena asked, causing Stefan to visibly tense.

It seemed like Stefan was constantly cleaning up Damon's messes...

"She said it was a vampire." Matt admitted, shaking his head at the idea as Elena cocked a rather confused brow.

"What?"

Shrugging, Matt nodded, his own blue orbs filled with confusion as he stared at the beauty in front of him. "Yeah, she wakes up last night and mutters 'vampire' and then passes out."

As a shiver ran down her spine, Elena shook the idea out of her head. Vampires were fiction. Surely Vicki was on some sort of pain relief or even drunk? Maybe she was having a bad dream?

"OK, that is weird." Elena claimed.

Matt nodded in agreement. The whole thing was weird. "I think she was drunk. So what's up with you and the new guy?" Matt asked as Elena frowned.

As Elena's slender posture tensed, the brunette felt a large amount of guilt flood through her as she looked into Matt's big eyes that were currently filled with pain.

"Matt, the last thing that I want to do is hurt you."

"You know, I'm...I'm actually gonna' go back to the hospital. I want to be there when Vicki wakes up, get the real story about last night."

 **...**

Walking into the history classroom, Liz kept her head high as William Tanner sat at his desk. Liz had never been too keen on the history teacher, but she was practically Dawn's guardian, so it was her duty to attend both Dawn's and Caroline's parents-evening appointments.

Straightening her Sheriff uniform down, Liz smiled. "Mr. Tanner."

"Sheriff Forbes. I assume your acting as Miss Ellis' guardian." Tanner stated, his eyes narrowed as he picked a file that had Dawn's name typed across the front.

Nodding, Liz sat down. "Yes, her home situation is a little... Difficult at the moment." Liz replied, meeting his eyes as he opened the file.

"Mmm."

Pulling out her file, Tanner frowned. "Miss Ellis use to be one of my honourable, smartest students. However, it seems ever since she was diagnosed with her... Condition. Her grades, attention and attitude had decreased. She's falling asleep in class, constantly getting up to go to the bathroom, it is not acceptable."

Liz narrowed her eyes, ' _Condition'_. Dawn was pregnant, she wasn't ill.

"Mr Tanner. It may not be in your knowledge, but her being pregnant means she will need to go to the bathroom and will be fatigued. Dawn is under a lot of stress due to her home situation, so if I were you, I wouldn't be such an ass to her. Or it might mysteriously get out about your naked protest arrest in the 90's..." Liz trailed off, her eyes narrowed as she pushed herself from the table and stormed out the room.

All what was left was a gaping Tanner.

 **...**

Wiping her sweaty palms across her cardigan, Dawn clenched the material fiercely as she took a large breath. Currently Elena, Caroline and Bonnie were all sat at their usual lunch table, the three were waiting for Dawn.

Ignoring the snake pit of anxiety in her stomach, Dawn nervously walked towards the table that the three beauties were occupying.

"Dawnie!"

Jumping out of her seat, Caroline wrestled Dawn into an embrace. "You made it." Elena smiled.

"Yeah..." Dawn murmured as Caroline gave Dawn an encouraging smile.

Leading Dawn to the table, Caroline took her seat next to Bonnie, causing Dawn to be sandwiched between Caroline and Elena.

As the three others pulled out their lunches, Dawn nervously pulled her own lunch box out. Although Liz had packed both the girls a full lunch, which Caroline hated, Dawn had thrown everything away except the small red apple.

Cocking a brow at Dawn, Caroline looked at her in confusion. "Where's the rest of your lunch, Dawnie?-" Caroline paused to look at Bonnie and Elena.

"-My mom does these stupid pack lunches." Caroline explained, rolling her eyes dramatically as two brunettes smiled and shook their heads.

Turning back to Dawn, Caroline scowled in concern. "-Now, where?"

Nervously, Dawn wiped the backs of her hands on her dress. "I'm just, uh, not hungry..." Dawn mumbled, rolling the apple around in her palm as Caroline frowned. Caroline knew her best friend had always been conscious of her weight, even before her pregnancy.

Suspiciously, Caroline narrowed her eyes but nodded.

Glancing at the girl concerned, Elena gave Dawn a small smile as the blonde bit into the apple.

"So, Dawn. Caroline said that you like art." Elena brought up causing Dawn's gaze to snap back to the brunette.

Swallowing her bite of apple, Dawn smiled.

"Every Sunday, my dad and step-mother set up church which is the most boring thing ever. And behind the church is this really pretty pond, it's surrounded by wildlife... It's beautiful. Ever since I was nine, I'd go and draw this place. At the start I was awful, but I guess I learnt with practice. And ever since, it's been my number one distraction, along with going to my mother's grave."

As Dawn talked, Elena noticed the warm twinkle in Dawn's hazel eyes.

Furrowing her brows together, Bonnie sent her a confused look. "Why'd you stop going?"

Dawn shrugged, "I'm not really welcome at church anymore."

Tensing, Caroline quickly cut in the conversation. "Dawn also loves gardening." Caroline admitted as both Bonnie and Elena raised a brow at this. Most teens were too busy getting drunk to have interests like art and gardening.

"Really?" Bonnie asked, leaning forward with interest as Dawn smiled.

"It's sounds stupid, but I love gardening. I find nature really peaceful." Dawn admitted her cheeks flushing.

Giving Dawn a smile, Elena shook her head. "It's not stupid." Elena reassured as Bonnie nodded in agreement.

As their conversation came to an end, Caroline glanced at Bonnie. "So anymore on the whole witchy thing?" Caroline asked as Dawn sent the witch a confused look.

"Witchy thing?"

Elena sent Dawn a smile. "Bonnie's family are ancestors of Salem witches. Her grams claims Bonnie's a witch." Elena informed the girl as Dawn's eyes lit up.

"Really? That's so cool-" Dawn exclaimed but then winced. "-Sorry, that sounded so lame..." Dawn added anxiously as Bonnie giggled.

Shaking her head, Bonnie rested a hand on Dawn's arm. "It's fine!" Bonnie reassured, smiling widely.

"Well, I was talking to Grams, and she said the comet is a sign of impending doom. The last time it passed over Mystic Falls, there was lots of death. So much blood and carnage, it created a bed of paranormal activity." Bonnie informed the group as Caroline scoffed.

"Yeah, and then you poured Grams another shot and she told you about the aliens. So then what" Caroline claimed as Dawn faintly giggled and bit into her apple.

Maybe these girls weren't as bad as people made them out to be...

Glancing at Dawn in the corner of her eyes, Elena smiled. It seemed that even though they had only began talking, Dawn was slowly coming out of her shell.

"So then nothing." Elena replied as Caroline turned to the girl.

"You and Stefan talked all night? There was no sloppy first kiss or touchy feely of any kind?" Caroline smirked as Dawn scrunched her nose up.

"Ew, Care." Dawn moaned as Elena giggled.

Shaking her head, the brunette smiled. "Nope. We didn't go there." The doppelgänger protested.

"Not even a handshake? I mean, Elena, we are your friends. Ok? You are supposed to share the smut." Caroline protested as Dawn nudged the fellow blonde.

"Care!"

"Tell me about it." Bonnie moaned, shaking her head as Dawn giggled quietly. The blonde snapped out of it and frowned, and just like that, Dawn's guard was back up.

Smirking at the two, Elena shook her head and turned to look back at Caroline. "We just talked for hours." Elena admitted.

Letting out a loud scoff, Caroline shook her head as she flailed her arms dramatically. "OK, what is with the blockage? Just jump his bones already! Ok, it's easy. Boy likes girl, girl likes boy, sex!"

"Profound." Elena replied dryly.

Shaking her head, Elena smiled and stood.

With furrowed brows, Bonnie looked up at the girl. "Where are you going?"

"Caroline's right. It is easy. If I sit here long enough, I'll end up talking myself out of it instead of doing what I started the day saying what I was going to do."

 **...**

The next day, Dawn walked into school feeling almost… Happy? Happiness was a feeling Dawn hadn't experienced ever since she had met _him_ …. Noticing Elena and Bonnie handing out leaflets by their lockers, Dawn smiled shyly at them from across the hall. Clutching her books in her arms, Dawn debated on wherever to go up to the two.

Dawn scowled at the idea, why would she do that? Just because she had lunch with the two didn't mean that they'd automatically her new best friends.

But Dawn couldn't deny the fact that she had more fun then she had ever had before. Walking down the halls, Dawn swerved past the two only to have Bonnie reach out and grab Dawn's arm. "Dawn."

Wincing at the contact, Dawn quickly pulled her arm out Bonnie's grip. Luckily Bonnie didn't notice.

Giving the witch a smile, Dawn blushed as the two grinned. "Me and Bonnie were wondering if you wanted lunch with us again." Elena smiled, clutching the pamphlets as Bonnie nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, it was fun yesterday." Bonnie piped up as a smile found its way onto Dawn's delicate features.

Struggling to stop the cheesy grin from rising, Dawn nodded. "S-Sure!"

Holding up the leaflet, Elena smiled. "Look, Caroline's organising this comet-party-thing," Elena began.

Dawn gnarled on the brittle skin of her lower lip. "I… Don't know… Also, I'm gonna' cover Vicki's shifts for her." The blonde trailed off nervously.

Giving Dawn an encouraging smile, Elena's orbs softened. "It's fine, but if you change your mind or are able to come, it be really nice." Elena smiled.

"I, uh, I could try…" Dawn trailed off, brushing a strand of hair behind her ears as she clutched her books against her baby bump.

"That be nice." Bonnie smiled as Dawn nodded awkwardly.

"I should, uh, go to class." Dawn murmured.

Before the two girls could reply, Dawn scurried away from them. Turning to the Bennett witch, Elena smiled. "I think she's beginning to trust us." Elena pondered as Bonnie nodded in agreement.

"Mmm."

 **...**

Twisting her French braids, Dawn bit her lower lip as Vicki scowled at Robert. Despite the fact that Vicki had been savaged by a rabid animal, Robert refused to let Vicki have another day of recovery. And when Dawn offered to do Vicki's shifts, the man refused due to Dawn staying at the sheriff's house.

"-I-I could do her shifts." Dawn piped up nervously, her eyes on the floor as she continued to twist her short, honey blonde hair around her index finger.

Scowling, the older man set his gaze on Dawn. "It's illegal for a minor to work more than 44 hours a week. You live at the Sheriff's house, Ellis. If you think I'm going to risk my restaurant license because Donovan wants to have another day of smoking joints, your pretty damn stupid." The man snapped, rolling his eyes.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Vicki gritted her teeth. "Whatever."

Without another word, Vicki stormed off leaving Robert and Dawn. Turning to Dawn, Robert failed to notice how Dawn was covering her stomach up.

"Get back to work." The man ordered before heading into the kitchen.

Sighing to herself, Dawn pulled her notepad and pencil out the pocket of her apron and headed towards a table of teens.

As Dawn served the rowdy teens, Jeremy walked into the grill. The teens brows furrowed when he noticed Vicki in the Grill. Heading towards the girl, Jeremy frowned.

"Vicki, what are you doing here?"

Turning to face the concerned speaker, Vicki scowled. "Fighting with Robert about my schedule. You'd think getting ripped up by a rabid animal would merit an extra sick day."

Jeremy scowled at this. "Are you feeling ok?"

Glancing at the bandage on her neck, Jeremy watched as Vicki lifted a hand and poked the bandage. "It hurts." She complained.

"Well, the doctor gave you something, right?"

The brunette rolled her eyes. The hospital hadn't given her anything she was able to get high on. "The kid stuff. Nothing with an "o" in it. I think they were on to me."

As the two shared a laugh, Jeremy reached into his pocket and pulled out some white pills. "Here. Knock yourself out, literally."

Pressing the pills into her palm, Vicki smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Jer."

Clearing his throat, Jeremy rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "So you gonna, uh, watch the comet later?" He asked, his eyes hopeful as Vicki smiled.

"I hadn't really thought about it. But I could be talked into it. I'll meet you out there in a few."

Before Jeremy could reply, Tyler approached, his hands in his pockets as his head hung low. "Hey, Vick. How you feeling?"

The brunette scowled furiously. Tyler hadn't been to see her in hospital. The only people to visit her was Matty and Jer. Hell, even Dawn visited her and brought flowers, and Vicki wasn't even close to the girl, the two were only co-workers. Tyler didn't even bother to text her, let alone visit her.

"Like you care."

Before Tyler could answer, Vicki headed towards the kitchen, preparing to thank Dawn. Scowling at the floor, Tyler looked up briefly only to notice Jeremy looking at him. Jeremy's gaze was mocking.

"What are you lookin' at, Gilbert?"

 **...**

Heading towards the blonde, Vicki placed her apron on the counter as she went and stood beside Dawn. Looking up, Dawn gave Vicki a small, shy smile.

"Uh, hi. I-I'm sorry about Robert… He can be a…-" Dawn paused to lower her voice. "Ass."

Chuckling at this, the brunette shook her head and cleared her throat. "Matty told me what you did." Vicki's voice was calm and warm as Dawn frowned in confusion.

"Excuse me?"

Dawn immediately assumed she had done something wrong. Racking her brain for answers, Dawn couldn't think of something she had done wrong. Then it hit her, maybe Vicki didn't like the flowers.

"I'm sorry. I-I didn't know if you liked tulips, there were roses but I thought they droop and then the petals fall off-" Dawn babbled nervously as Vicki placed her hand on Dawn's shoulder.

Chuckling, the brunette shook her head. "It was really sweet Dawn. Thanks."

Relieved, the blonde nodded and smiled. "It's fine."

 **…**

Gingerly peering at her wrist watch, Dawn sighed. Dawn had volunteered to fill in for Vicki that night and after much begging, Robert finally gave in. Once Dawn was certain Robert wasn't in sight, the blonde pulled her phone out and clicked on Caroline's contact.

Typing a short, apologetic message to Caroline, Dawn failed to notice Damon opposite her.

"Should you be on that while working?" Damon's voice was teasing.

Jolting in surprise, Dawn looked up with widened eyes. Meeting Dawn's eyes, Damon smirked. "I, uh…" Dawn trailed off, flushing as Damon let out a chuckle.

Damon tsked. "Naughty girl."

The blonde simply stood frozen as Damon smirked.

Waving it off, Damon leaned forward over the counter. "Don't worry, I'm kidding." Damon winked as Dawn's lips parted in surprise.

Blushing even more, Dawn sent the finished text and shoved her phone in her apron. "Okay." Dawn murmured, her cheeks rosy.

Patting the seat beside him, Damon sent the girl a smirk.

"Come and sit." Damon urged as Dawn glanced over her shoulder.

Robert would have killed her if he found her sitting. "I can't… My boss." Dawn murmured, biting her lower lip as Damon smirked.

"Don't worry." Damon chuckled, pulling Dawn around the counter and forcing her into her chair.

 **…**

Giggling, Dawn lifted a hand to her mouth as Damon smirked, watching in amusement as the blonde tried and failed to smother her adorable giggles.

"No way!" Dawn exclaimed, shaking her head as she took a sip of her diet coke.

Nodding, the vampire chuckled. Dawn was really coming out of her shell. And although Damon wouldn't admit it, he quite liked the blondes company. But that wasn't the only reason that Damon was getting the blonde to trust him, he could tell there was something special with the blonde.

She wasn't human, but Damon wasn't entirely sure what she was… He really needed to meet Bree to find out what Dawn was. She could be valuable, and if not, she'd make a pretty little toy.

"Um hmm." Damon nodded, meeting her eyes as the blonde flushed and twirled her straw around in her glass of diet coke.

Before Dawn could reply, Vicki walked over. Something about the stranger besides Dawn seemed… Familiar.

With furrowed brows. Vicki wasn't sure where she knew him from. "I know you."

Looking at Vicki, Dawn immediately stood up, alarmed by her presence. "Vicki-" Dawn murmured, worried the brunette would tell Robert that Dawn hadn't been working.

Wrapping his arm around Dawn's waist, Damon pulled the blonde back down as she flushed at the sudden contact. As Dawn's hip rubbed against Damon's, the blonde shuffled away slightly, tense as Damon looked at Vicki.

"Well, that's unfortunate." Damon teased as Dawn frowned.

If Vicki told Robert that Dawn hadn't been doing her job properly… Well, Dawn wouldn't have a job and Dawn really needed her job…

"Um...I don't...I don't know how, but...your face. Excuse me. Sorry." Vicki murmured, paling as she bolted towards the bathroom.

As Dawn's breath quickened, the blondes hand began to tremble. "I-If she tells that I weren't working-" Dawn was interrupted by her heavy hyperventilating.

"Hey, hey." Damon rubbed her shoulder, helping the overwhelmed breath.

"R-Robert will fire me… I need this job." Dawn murmured, her bottle lip trembling as Damon felt a sense of sympathy flood over him.

"I'll go and talk to her, okay?" Damon replied, his eyes softening slightly at the sight of the worried blonde. What the hell was wrong with him? Dawn was a stupid human. A puppet for a vampires' games. Why the hell was he feeling sympathy for the blonde?

Shaking her head, Dawn frowned. "I-I don't want to trouble you."

"No trouble caused. I'll be one minute."

Before Dawn could object, Damon headed towards the restroom, a smirk on his lips. He'd 'talk' to Vicki alright.

 **…**

Pulling the pills out of her pocket, Vicki tipped her head back and swallowed her pills. As she looked back up in the mirror, Damon was stood behind her.

"Aah"

 **...**

Walking out the restroom, Damon sat back besides Dawn. He had dragged Vicki's body out the window and placed it in his trunk for the time being. It wasn't like Vicki could complain about being put in his trunk. Damon hoped the unconscious brunette wouldn't stain his baby. He'd just had the navy, 69' Chevy Camaro convertible cleaned. So he'd be super pissed if Vicki got blood on the carpet. Blood was such a pain to wash out.

"Dawn."

Turning around relieved, Damon noted how her eyes were glazed over. The blonde was clearly fearful of losing her job.

"D-did she say anything-" Dawn was cut off as Damon gently pressed the pressure point on her neck. Humans… Such measly, feeble creatures.

As Dawn's frame slumped against him, Damon carefully wrapped an arm around her small waist. Turning to the customers who were glancing at him, Damon gave them a mock concerned smile.

"She's fatigued, bless." Damon pointed out her bump as people nodded understandingly.

 **…**

Vicki Donovan was missing, and Stefan had a suspect already. However, the younger brother hoped his theory wasn't correct. Bumping into Matt, Stefan gave Elena's boyfriend an apologetic smile.

"Hey."

"Hey."

After the awkward exchange, Matt cleared his throat. Concern was brewing in Matt's blue eyes. "Have you seen my sister?"

Shaking his head, Stefan frowned. "No, sorry."

"I can't find her. She's missing." Matt admitted.

Nodding, Stefan pretended to look as if the information was new to him. "I'll keep an eye out for her."

The human brother was clearly concerned. As Stefan tried to swerve around Matt, the football player's voice stopped him.

"Hey. I saw you at the hospital yesterday." Matt admitted suspiciously.

Stefan's brows furrowed together. What was suspicious about visiting a hospital? "Did you?"

Giving Stefan a nod, Matt took a threatening step forward. However, nothing about the human intimidated Stefan. The only thing that scared Stefan was himself.

"What were you doing there?"

Stefan kept his answer neutral. "Visiting."

"Visiting? You know, Elena and I, we've known each other for a long time. We might not be together right now, but I look out for her. And I'll always look out for her." As Matt gave Stefan an overprotective, ex-boyfriend speech. Stefan heard a faint scream with his supernatural hearing.

No human would be able to hear the faint scream. The scream was soon followed by Damon and Vicki's voices.

 _"You really have to stop screaming."_

 _"No, please, stop. Don't... Leave me and Dawn alone!"_

Stefan's brows furrowed together. Surely his brother wouldn't hurt an innocent pregnant girl, surely his brother wasn't that far gone…

 _"Shh. I got you..."_

Pushing past Matt, Stefan frowned. "Excuse me."

 **...**

When Stefan got to the rooftop, he found Damon dangling Vicki over the edge. Meanwhile, Dawn was laid on the gravel, unconscious but still breathing. Stefan was relieved to find Dawn wasn't hurt, but he wasn't sure how long that would last…

"No! No!" Vicki sobbed as Damon glanced at his brother, a smirk on his lips.

Stroking his fingers along her tanned neck, Damon continued to smugly glance at his brother. "Shh, I'm not gonna drop you."

Turning to his brother, Damon met his green eyes. "Not bad. Have you been eating bunnies?" Damon mocked.

Stefan scowled. "Let her go."

"Shh. really? Ok-" Damon pushed Vicki closer to the edge as she let out a loud shriek.

"No!"

"No, no, no!" Stefan panicked as Damon chuckled.

"Ugh! Relax." Damon smirked, pushing Vicki into his brother's arms before glancing at Dawn. "Dawnie's still out." Stefan narrowed his eyes and took a protective step forward.

"I won't let you hurt her, Damon. I won't let you hurt either of them." Stefan snapped, glancing worriedly at Dawn's body as Vicki let out a confused sob.

"Anyway, isn't Dawnie a pretty little thing." Damon purred, eyeing Dawn's unconscious figure as Stefan narrowed his eyes protectively.

"Damon…"

"Relax brother, I'm not a monster" Damon teased. "And she is pretty useful. Not sure what's different about her, but I'll find out." Damon smirked.

"What's happening?"

Ignoring Vicki's questions, Damon turned to Stefan. "I don't need her to be dead, but...you might." Damon motioned to Vicki with his eyes as Vicki sobbed.

"What attacked you the other night?" Damon suddenly questioned as Vicki tried to think.

"I don't know. An animal."

Damon smirked. He knew his brother's compulsion would be weak. Feeding on squirrels and bambi had its downfall. "Are you sure about that? Think. Think about it. Think really hard. What attacked you?"

Trembling in recognition, Vicki paled. "A vampire."

"Who did this to you?"

"You did!"

"Wrong!"

"Don't." Stefan begged as Damon locked eyes with Vicki.

"It was Stefan."

Shaking his head, Stefan could only plead. "Don't."

Still with a cocky smirk on his face, Damon motioned for Vicki to walk forward. "Come here."

Grabbing the brunette by both sides of her head, Stefan stood defeated. There was nothing he could do… If Stefan tried to grab Vicki, Damon could easily injure Vicki's frail human body.

"Stefan Salvatore did this to you." Damon compelled as Vicki repeated his compulsion in a low, monotone.

Usually a vampire's compulsion couldn't be undone by another vampire, but Stefan's bunny diet caused weak compulsion.

Damon's eyes continued to lock with Vicki's all while ignoring Stefan's prying gaze. "He's a vampire. A vicious, murderous monster."

The brunette's eyes filled with fear as she trembled. Vicki was beyond afraid. Stefan had attacked her. It wasn't an animal that attacked her in the woods, it was a vicious, murderous monster. Stefan was a vicious, murderous monster. He was a vampire…

Shaking his head, Stefan looked at his brother pleadingly. "Please, Damon. Please don't do this."

Averting his eye contact from Vicki, Damon smirked at his brother. Still holding Vicki's head in place, Damon sent his brother a mocking gaze. "If you couldn't fix it before, I don't know what you can do now."

Ripping the bandage off Vicki's neck, Damon briefly inhaled before pushing Vicki into Stefan. Vicki let out a shrill shriek and struggled in Stefan's grip.

"Ugh! Your choice of lifestyle has made you weak. A couple of vampire parlour tricks is nothing compared to the power that you could have, that you now need. But you can change that. Human blood gives you that."

Struggling in Stefan's grip, Vicki continued to cry out.

"No!"

Ignoring the girl's screams, Damon narrowed his azure orbs at Stefan. "You have two choices. You can feed and make her forget. Or you can let her run, screaming 'vampire' through the town square."

Laughing bitterly, Stefan shook his head. "That's what this is about? You want to expose me?"

Stefan tried to ignore the sweet scent of Vicki's blood.

"No! I want you to remember who you are!"

Glancing at Dawn, Stefan made sure the girl was still unconscious and breathing.

Shaking his head, Stefan's brows knotted together. "Why? So what, so I'll feed? So I'll kill? So I'll remember what it's like to be brothers again? You know what, let her go. Let her tell everyone that vampires have returned to Mystic Falls. Let them chain me up, and let them drive a stake through my heart, because at least I'll be free of you." Stefan snarled.

"Huh. Huh. Wow. Come here, sweetheart."

Damon's eyes forced Vicki to walk forward as she cried out.

"It's okay."

Clutching the girls head in his hands, Damon leaned down to whisper in Vicki's ear. After repeating some words, Vicki's eyes glazed over before she forgot about the whole conversation.

"What happened? Where am I? Oh, I ripped my stitches open. Ugh..."

As the girl clutched her bleeding neck, Stefan grimaced but took a step forward. "You okay?"

Vicki shrugged, "I took some pills, man. I'm good."

Turning around, the girl froze at the sight of an unconscious Dawn. "Dawn?"

Before Vicki could say anything else, Damon sped in front of the drugged up teen and muttered some words. The teen then wondered off without a second thought.

Spinning round to face his brother, Damon smirked and gathered Dawn up in his arms. "It's good to be home. Think I might stay a while. This town could use a bit of a wake-up call, don't you think?"

Running his fingers along Dawn's neck, Damon smirked. "Damon, leave her alone." Stefan snapped, his brows furrowed as Damon let out a chuckle.

"Relax, brother. This one will only remember finishing her shift." Damon chuckled as Stefan frowned.

"What are you up to, Damon?" Stefan demanded.

Smirking, Damon shrugged. "That's for me to know and for you to...dot dot dot. Give Elena my best. I'll give Dawnie's yours."

 **...**

Shaking her head, Caroline threw her head back and let out an infectious laugh in reply to Bonnie's comment. Just as the blonde was about to reply, a wide grin smeared across Caroline's features as she noticed Dawn approaching. Jumping from her seat, Caroline squealed as the others followed Caroline's gaze.

"Dawnie!"

Giving Caroline an uncertain smile, the fellow blonde waved. "Hey guys." Dawn murmured, taking a seat besides Elena.

"Hey Dawn." Elena smiled as Bonnie sent the blonde a welcoming smile.

Seeing the discomfort on Dawn's features, Bonnie sent the girl a confused look. "You okay?"

Rubbing her eyes, Dawn nodded. "Yeah… My shift just went really… Quick, if that makes sense." Dawn murmured, her brows knotted together in confusion. All Dawn could remember was working through her shift and talking to Damon.

"Anyways, I'm sorry I couldn't go to the party…" Dawn trailed off as Elena sent the girl a reassuring smile.

Waving the comment off, Elena smiled. "It's fine."

Nodding, Dawn played with the loose threads of her shirt. Looking up, Caroline bit the inside of her cheek. "Don't worry Elena, you get use to Dawn cancelling." Caroline complained, rolling her eyes jokingly.

Bonnie noticed how the pregnant blonde winced at the comment. "C-Care, I-" Dawn was cut off by Caroline leaning forward to talk to the girls in a hushed voice.

"Even when she was living with her dad, Dawn was never allowed to do anything. Sometimes I wonder how we are best friends." Caroline claimed, shaking her head as she glanced at her manicured nails.

Although Caroline didn't mean to hurt Dawn with her comments, Caroline immediately regretted it when she saw Dawn's hurt features.

Standing abruptly, Dawn's eyes watered. "I-I'm go-oing to go." Dawn croaked off before hurrying out the Grill doors.

Elena immediately rushed after the blonde as Caroline went to follow. Reaching out, Bonnie gripped Caroline's arm.

"Let her cool down."

 **…**

With her head held high, Caroline swung her hips automatically as she clutched her car keys in her palm. Dawn was staying the night with Elena, due to the 'argument' between them.

Caroline couldn't help but feel jealous of the fact that Dawn had turned to Elena. Dawn and Caroline had been best friends for a long time, and when the two had a minor argument, Dawn turned to the girl she had just befriended…

However, this wasn't the only feelings Caroline was hoarding. The cheerleader also felt a large amount of guilt. Caroline never should have said those comments about Dawn. Caroline hadn't met to hurt Dawn, but the comments just came out before she could stop them. Her best friend was sensitive and Caroline had hurt her…

The blonde was so caught up in her thoughts, she found herself dropping her keys as she reached her car.

Frowning, Caroline hastily picked the keys up and stood up, only to find a handsome man staring at her. Caroline immediately recognized the stranger as the guy who she wanted to contact.

"Oh...whoa."

Damon smirked at her reaction. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."

Straightening her posture, the blonde flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder as she tried to look confident. Although Caroline was beyond insecure, her presence radiated confidence.

"No, it's fine. Um...I was hoping I'd see you again."

"I know."

Scoffing, Caroline raised a challenging eyebrow. "Cocky much?"

Damon nodded and took a seductive step forward. "Very much."

 **...**

Pressing a kiss to the easy blonde's stomach, Damon smirked as the veins beneath his eyes came out and his fangs unhinged from his gums. Biting into her stomach, a sweet scream erupted from the blonde's throat.

"Aah!"

 **…**

As the low sound of Elena's radio travelled throughout the small bedroom, Dawn sat on Elena's bed. Her posture was tense and stiff as Elena set up a small bed that Dawn assumed was for herself. While Elena put a cushion on the bedspread made of blankets and sheets, Dawn nervously flicked the bobble that was current around her wrist.

Once Elena was sure the floor bed would be relatively comfy, the doppelgänger stood and opened her mouth. However, before the words could come out, a knock interrupted them.

Turning to the door, Elena grabbed the handle and pulled the door open.

A young, attractive redhead was stood at the door wearing a pair of fluffy pyjama pants and a large yellow sweatshirt. "Elena have you seen the ice cream-" Jenna paused when she noticed the pregnant blonde sat on the bed.

Raising a brow, Jenna turned to Elena. "I didn't know you had company…" Elena's aunt trailed off as Dawn flushed.

Shrugging, Elena picked up the ice cream tub that had been on her dresser before pressing it into her aunt's arms. "This is my friend, Dawn. She's staying the night." Elena smiled as the redhead gave Dawn a smile. Dawn returned the smile.

"Your Pastor Gabriel's daughter, right?" Jenna asked.

The statement wiped the smile of Dawn's face. "Yeah." Dawn murmured.

Immediately sensing she had done something wrong, Jenna frowned. "So… Do you girls need anything?" Jenna asked, her eyes skimming to Dawn's bump before back to the blonde's face.

Luckily, Dawn didn't notice Jenna's eyes travelling down to her bump.

"Were fine." Elena smiled.

"Thanks anyways." Dawn added politely as Jenna smiled.

"No problem, but if you girls change your mind, I'm only down the hall."

 **…**

Crouched in front of the small TV, Dawn and Elena's eyes never left the screen as the two enjoyed a classical movie. Most teens Dawn age loved films like 'Titanic' and 'The notebook', and although Dawn enjoyed those movies, she preferred movies like 'Physco' or 'Scream'. However, the film the two were watching was one of Dawn's all-time favourites: Bonnie and Clyde.

 _"You've heard the story of Jesse James, of how he lived and died. If you're still in need of something to read, here's the story of Bonnie and Clyde. Now Bonnie and Clyde are the Barrow gang, I'm sure you all have read, how they rob and steal, and those who squeal are usually found dyin' or dead. They call them cold-hearted killers, they say they are heartless and mean."_

 _"But I say this with pride, that I once knew Clyde, when he was honest and upright and clean. But the laws fooled around, kept takin' him down and lockin' him up in a cell, till he said to me: 'I'll never be free so I'll meet a few of them in Hell.'. If a policeman is killed in Dallas and they have no clue to guide. If they can't find a fiend, they just wipe their slate clean and hang it on Bonnie and Clyde."_

 _"If they try to act like citizens and rent them a nice little flat, about the third night, they're invited to fight by a sub-guns' rat-a-tat-tat. Someday, they'll go down together, they'll bury them side by side. To a few, it'll be grief, to the law, a relief. But it's **death** for Bonnie and Clyde." _ Faye Dunaway who was playing Bonnie Parker, read the poem on the screen as Elena and Dawn hung onto every word that the actress read.

Glancing at Elena, Dawn pulled the large shirt looser over her belly. "I love this film. It's a classic." Dawn admitted quietly, causing Elena's eyes to leave the small screen.

With her mouth slightly gaped, Elena's doe orbs lit up. "Me too!" Elena said, surprised. "It's my favourite film!" Elena added, reaching for the small bowl of popcorn in front of them.

"Caroline doesn't like this film… Whenever we watch films, it has to be some Nicholas Sparks movie!" Dawn complained, shaking her head. "And don't get me wrong, I like some romance novels, but Nicholas Sparks just seems to depress me." Dawn complained as Elena nodded in agreement and shoved a handful of popcorn into her mouth.

Crunching the popcorn, Elena turned to fully face Dawn. "Same with Bonnie! She always wants to watch Cecelia Ahern movies! I swear, I've seen 'P.S I love you' ten times!" Elena complained as the two girls giggled.

"And if I have to watch the notebook again…" Dawn exclaimed, shuddering dramatically as Elena giggled and shoved more popcorn in her mouth.

Peering at the popcorn dish, Dawn's brows furrowed as she tried to figure out what the flavour of popcorn was. "Is the popcorn sweet or…" Dawn trailed off as Elena tucked a long strand of hair behind her ear.

"It's salt. I hate sweet popcorn. -" Elena replied, pausing for a moment as she glanced back at Dawn. "-Is that okay?" Elena asked as Dawn grinned and nodded.

Taking a handful of popcorn, Dawn shoved some in her mouth. Both girls giggled when some of the popcorn missed her mouth and ran down her shirt.

"I love salt popcorn!" Dawn moaned, plucking the remaining savoury treats from her shirt and placing them in her mouth.

Elena smiled. The doppelgänger had never realized how much in common she had with Dawn. "Everyone I know hates salt popcorn. Whenever we go to the cinema I can never share a bucket of popcorn because Bonnie always wants sweet popcorn with caramel on it!" Elena exclaimed.

Letting out a gag, Dawn shook her head. "Ew!"

The brunette leaned closer as the film played in the background. "And get this, Bonnie mixes nuts in it!" Elena added, shaking her head in disgust as the two giggled.

 **…**

After watching the rest of 'Bonnie and Clyde', Dawn and Elena decided to go to bed. After all, the two had school in the morning. Dawn wasn't entirely sure on what she was going to wear for school, but Dawn was too tired to think about that.

Currently, Elena was brushing her teeth, leaving Dawn alone in her bedroom. Glancing around the small room, Dawn's eyes brushed across the pictures that were pinned up on her mirror. All the pictures had varieties of people in, ranging from Elena's mother to Bonnie Bennett. Smiling at the picture, Dawn glanced at the one that contained the brunette in her cheerleading uniform.

Dawn had never been the sportiest, unlike her bubbly blonde best friend. Caroline had always wanted Dawn to join the cheerleading team, however both new Dawn would be useless. Dawn had no sense of coordination and could have been compared to a new-born giraffe trying to stand for the first time.

Feeling nosey, Dawn went over towards the bed on the floor.

Grabbing hold off the bedside table, Dawn struggled to get on the floor. The short haired girl let out a quiet 'oof' when she finally managed to manoeuvre to the level of the bed.

Just as Dawn sat on the covers, the bathroom door swung open revealing Elena. The brunette had toothpaste on the corner of her mouth, indicating she had been brushing her teeth. Elena also was carrying a boxed toothbrush in her left hand.

"My mom used to be a coupon freak-" Elena began, clutching the toothbrush in her hand.

"Dawn…" Elena trailed off, her brows furrowed as she placed the boxed toothbrush on her dresser.

Walking over to the girl, Elena offered her a hand. "You can sleep on my bed; I'll sleep on the floor." Elena smiled as Dawn shook her head and made no effort to take the girls hand.

There was no way that Elena would let her guest, her pregnant guest, sleep on the floor.

"I can sleep here, I'll be fine." Dawn murmured, giving the girl a small smile. "I don't want to cause any trouble. I've already caused enough." Dawn added as Elena's brows furrowed. Dawn hadn't caused Elena any trouble.

Shaking her head, Elena pulled Dawn up. "You haven't caused any trouble Dawn, I don't mind you staying here, I've enjoyed it honestly." Elena gave the girl an encouraging smile.

"And you're my guest and… You're not sleeping on the floor." Elena informed the blonde.

Elena was unsure if she was allowed to say the 'P' word.

Dawn shook her head and twisted her braid. "I'll feel bad if you sleep on the floor. It's your bed."

Rolling her eyes playfully, Elena smiled. "Fine then, we'll share."

* * *

 **Hi guys:) This chapter is dedicated to PirateWizardThief. She's been a massive help and is so sweet! If you haven't read her fic surrender than your mad! #Jamon? #Jlaus. oh god... Excuse my bad ship names!**

 **Also, just wanted to clear a couple of things up. I'm English but write American as the vampire diaries is set in America (strange right?). Anyways, Dianna (who portrays Dawn) is a dress size 6 US which is a size 8 UK. An average size in the UK is an 8-12.**

 **Sorry for any mistakes!**

 **Also please don't be mad at me for Dawn becoming 'friends' with Elena and Bonnie. I personally love Elena but I know a lot of people don't like her which is understandable. But I don't want to give it a way, but their friendship has something to do with Dawn being supernatural. So keep that in mind.**

 **In response to:**

 **Vany: Don't worry, you didn't sound rude at all! :) And I know what you mean, I love Amelia Gilbert, but ever since that fic got big I think people cling to the Elena twin idea. But not all Elena twin fanfictions are bad:) I know a lot of good ones! Plus, Damon was such an ass in season 1, but then again, Klaus was an ass in season 2 (I love him as well:') along with Kol and Kai... Thanks for the lovely long review again! :)**

 **Kim: I love Caroline as well! Everyone was pretty much horrible to her, even Stefan... It was tragic how little she thought about herself:(, I personally think the writers of the show didn't give her enough attention in s1. Thanks for the review! :)**

 **Lalal: I know right!3 Thanks for the review:)**

 **PirateWizardThief: I fangirl every time I read your comments:'). Your too sweet! Thanks for reviewing!x**

 **Guest comment (June the 3rd): Dawn is portrayed by Dianna Argon:) Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Guest comment (June the 1st): I totally agree! I love Caroline and always thought she deserved someone there for her. Bonnie and Elena were/are really close so poor Caroline was left out! But fear no more, Care-bear has Dawn! ;) Thanks for the review.**

 **Guest comment (June the 5th): Dianna has hazel eyes and gold is a similar colour and used often to describe hazel eyes. Thanks for the review.**


	4. f o u r

**1X03 Friday night bites**

 **Dawn Ellis played by Dianna Argon**

The following morning, Dawn's eyes fluttered open, her hazel orbs immediately squinted as yellow hues invaded her vision. Letting out a hoarse whine, Dawn impulsively lifted a hand to shield the sunlight from her sensitive eyes. As she peered from under the shaded solace of her palm, Dawn was surprised to find Elena gone. She was probably downstairs, Dawn absent-mindedly rolled away from the sunlight and laid where Elena had previously been laying. Rubbing her eyes, Dawn yawned. What time was it? Glancing at the digital alarm clock, Dawn raised a brow at the time. _7:15 AM_

Forcing herself to sit up, Dawn mumbled groggily under her breath. _Ugh, mornings_ … Wiggling her toes, Dawn lazily stretched her legs as she let out a loud yawn.

She really didn't want to get up. Dawn just wanted to lay back down, curl up in the duvet and hide from the world. If only she could do that. Dawn didn't think Elena would appreciate Dawn living in her bed.

A good night's sleep was a rare occurrence for Dawn, most nights Dawn wouldn't be able to sleep and when she did fall asleep, her dreams would turn to nightmares about _him_. Last night was not a case of this, although Dawn didn't have an amazing night of sleep, she didn't have nightmares about _him_. Instead Caroline's words were on a constant loop in the nightmare, meaning they were practically carved into her brain now.

 _"Don't worry Elena, you get use to Dawn cancelling."_

 _"Even when she was living with her dad, Dawn was never allowed to do anything. Sometimes I wonder how we are best friends."_

Placing a hand on her baby bump, Dawn sighed. As strange as it was, Dawn found herself soothed at the thought of the small foetus in her abdomen. It was almost a reminder that everything was going to be alright, no matter the outcome as she'd always have the baby. In circular, enduring motions, Dawn rubbed her bump while exhaling deeply.

Dawn's mind briefly wandered to Caroline. A pit of anxiety formed in Dawn's gut just from the thought alone. Part of Dawn knew she wasn't in the wrong, but the other part reminded her that Caroline was her best friend. She couldn't let a petty disagreement ruin their friendship.

After all, Caroline was all Dawn had. Dawn didn't know what she'd do without her best friend. A life without Caroline wasn't a life worth living.

Before the blonde could ponder anymore about the fellow blonde, her stomach churned as a stinging sensation in her throat alerted her to what was coming. Oh no…

Leaping towards the direction of the bathroom, Dawn mindlessly slammed the door open and let her insides flood into the toilet.

Standing back up, Dawn stood for a moment. Her throat stung, her stomach ached and quite frankly, her sick wasn't the pleasantest of smells. Assuming she had finished throwing up, Dawn sighed in relief.

However, her reliefs were short lived as she instinctively leaned forward and vomited. Dawn grumbled under her breath, pushing a blonde strand behind her ear as she made no move to advance away from the toilet.

Dawn was glad she had decided to scrape her hair up into a messy bun the previous night.

Once she was positive she was finished being sick, Dawn flushed the toilet and stood up straight. Taking a deep breath, Dawn turned to the mirror, she immediately winced at her appearance.

She looked dreadful. Her skin was a sickly white, glazed over with a thin layer of sweat. Plum, charcoal and navy bags were unwelcome residents under Dawn's puffy, red-tinged eyes. While Dawn's usually, voluminous, soft blonde hair had a limp dampness to it.

Flushing the toilet, Dawn moved towards the sink and washed her hands. Using her small hands to cup water, Dawn splashed her face with the cool water, hoping that she'd magically look somewhat decent.

Sighing, Dawn brushed her teeth quickly, hoping that her horrible sickly morning breath as Caroline called it, would fade.

Turning the tap off and drying her hands with a towel, Dawn nervously inhaled. The blonde's button nose crinkled up in disgust when she realized how bad the smell was.

Seeing a can of aerosol on the toilet, Dawn sprayed a small amount before sighing nervously.

 **…**

Heading down the stairs wearing the clothes Elena had given her to sleep in, Dawn's bare feet padded against the wood flooring as she uneasily looked for Elena or her aunt. Despite her attempt to clean up, Dawn still looked a mess. Dawn had pulled out her hideous, messy bun and had braided her shoulder-length hair into two untidy French braids.

The sound of quiet chatter drew Dawn to the kitchen as she tensely approached the open room.

" _I mean Dawn Ellis? Isn't she the girl who got pregnant because she slept with lots of guys?"_ Jeremy Gilbert's voice was loud and clear as Dawn visibly winced. Ouch…

" _Jeremy!_ " Elena's aunt scolded, her voice firm.

" _Look. I thought that too, but I was completely wrong… She's really sweet and fell out with Caroline. And anyway, we have a lot more in common than I thought._ " Elena replied to her brother, her voice quiet.

Deciding to walk into the room, Dawn awkwardly smiled as the three heads turned towards her. "Uh, hi."

Giving the pregnant girl a welcoming smile, Jenna motioned to the empty seat beside Elena. "Sit."

Shaking her head, Dawn eyed the plate of food. Although it looked delicious, Dawn didn't want to intrude. She felt rude enough staying at Elena's without Jenna's official permission.

"I don't want to intrude." Dawn murmured politely, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she shifted in her spot. "-But, thank you for letting me stay." Dawn smiled as Jenna shook her head.

"Don't be silly, sit. I made you breakfast!" Jenna exclaimed, motioning to the plate that contained a rash of bacon, a grilled sausage, some baked beans and two poached eggs. It did look mouth-watering…

Elena gave the girl an encouraging smile and nod as Dawn awkwardly sat beside the brunette.

It didn't take long for Jenna to ease the tension and the four ended up in a rather friendly, enjoyable conversation. And as Dawn ate the flawlessly cooked breakfast, she couldn't help but remember how her life used to be.

Her father and stepmother would make nutritious breakfasts which the entire family would eat together every morning. Her stepbrother wouldn't always attend breakfast due to choir practices, college study groups and other boring activities, this meant Dawn didn't always have to face her golden boy stepbrother.

Dawn smiled. Things were simpler before she got pregnant.

 **…**

Instead of waking up to the tender sound of Dawn's sweet voice, Caroline woke to an eerie silence. Furrowing her brows together, Caroline tried to remember what had happened, but was highly unsuccessful. All Caroline knew was that Dawn was upset with her and she was feeling _extremely_ lightheaded. Was she hung over?

A kaleidoscope of memories came crashing back to Caroline as she froze. She had taken a guy home with her. And if Caroline was correct, she was pretty sure it was the guy from the grill.

Turning over, Caroline covered her mouth when she saw her pillow. Her usually plain pillow was stained with a thick, foul-smelling substance… Was that… Blood?

More memories flooded back to Caroline as she whimpered. The weirdo from the grill had… Bitten her… But it wasn't a normal love bite or playful nip. The guy had plunged sharp fang like teeth into her stomach… And his eyes... They were red and underlined by thick, fierce veins. What was he?

Panicking, Caroline slowly sat up as she debated on what to do. Dawn wasn't home, while her mother was at work… If Caroline got out the house without the creep noticing, she could call her mom and the town's Sheriff would arrest the creepy guy who had practically abused her.

Quietly, Caroline tiptoed to the door. As her bare feet pattered against her flooring, the blonde winced as the floor let out a loud squeak. Turning back to the handsome yet creepy guy, Caroline let out a sigh of relief when she realized he was still sleeping. However, as Caroline was about to grab the doorknob, she was pulled against a firm chest… Damon.

"Good morning." Damon smirked as the blonde backed away from him, falling over the bed in the process.

Shaking her head, Caroline glanced around her surroundings for a weapon of some sort.

"Please... Don't!" Caroline begged, eyeing her bedside lamp. Damon scowled when her gaze landed on the bedside lamp.

"Don't do that. Ah, ah, ah, ah." Damon warned.

However, Caroline didn't listen to Damon, instead the blonde grabbed the lamp and swung it over Damon's head. Caroline's eyes widened when she realized that Damon was unharmed by the gesture. Any normal human would have been knocked out from the firm hit on the head with the pottery lamp, however Damon wasn't human.

"No! No! No! Get away from me! No!"

Looking around for a new weapon, Caroline whimpered when she saw there was no other weapon that could harm Damon. Grabbing the first thing in her sight, Caroline threw the stained pillow at Damon.

"This could have gone a completely different way." Damon chuckled, still holding the pillow.

Leaning down, Damon sniffed the pillow, while taking no notice of Caroline's horrified expression. Damon's handsome expressions morphed into the ones of a monster as the thick smell of blood took control of his senses. Looking up, Damon jumped at Caroline as the girl whimpered and screamed.

"Aaah!"

 **…**

Dawn was truly bewildered as she walked side by side with Bonnie and Elena, and judging from the stares Dawn was receiving, so was everyone else. Dawn found it truly strange, only a week ago she had nothing to do with Elena Gilbert or Bonnie Bennett, now the three were walking side by side through the school corridors. Dawn couldn't say the two were her 'best friends' as Caroline would always have that position, but Dawn felt like Elena and Bonnie were her friends.

It turned out that Elena Gilbert and Dawn Ellis had more in common than they both thought. The two girls absolutely loved the film 'Bonnie and Clyde', they both loved reading, they both loved salt popcorn and while Elena visited her mother and father in the grave yard, Dawn visited her mother. It was kind of creepy how much they had in common.

Self-consciously pulling on her jumper, Dawn nervously bit her lower lip. Due to the fact the only clothes Dawn had at Elena's were a day old, Elena's aunt Jenna had found something for Dawn to wear. Although the family obviously had no maternity clothing, Jenna had managed to find some larger clothing that used to belong to her and would just fit Dawn.

Dawn was wearing a pair of old, black leggings, along with a plum, large sweatshirt, both of which belonged to Jenna. While Elena had let Dawn borrow the necessary undergarments, shoes and socks.

The sweatshirt was a too tight around the bottom of her stomach and the underwear was rather small. Even if the underwear was giving her her a gruelling wedgie, Dawn was still grateful for the clothing that Jenna and Elena had provided between them.

The blonde had also used Elena's shower, meaning her previously greasy hair was now conditioned and clean. Her short blonde hair was re-braided into two French plaits, however, this time they were neat and silky.

"So, we need to resolve the whole Caroline situation before it gets any worse." Bonnie decided as Elena nodded in agreement.

Picking at her chipped white nail polish, Dawn nodded. "I'll apologize… I overreacted…" Dawn murmured, shaking her head as her shapely brows furrowed in defeat.

Elena shook her head. "It's not your fault, Dawn." Elena reassured as Bonnie nodded in agreement.

"She's right, Dawn. But we'll solve the whole thing anyway." Bonnie promised as Dawn forced a small smile and nodded.

Even if she was 'friends' with the two, it didn't mean Dawn didn't feel awkward around them. Dawn was still trying to process that the two girls were actually talking to her. It was nice, but a lot to take in.

Giving Elena a smile, Dawn twisted the ends of her French braids. "So, uh, how's you and Stefan?" Dawn asked anxiously.

During the sleepover, Elena had told Dawn about her and Stefan. Apparently, Elena had felt an immediate connection with Stefan. The doppelgänger had then blushed and claimed how stupid she sounded, but Dawn had reassured the girl it wasn't.

"It's good." Elena smiled, blushing as Bonnie pulled a face.

Turning to the brunette, Elena's brows furrowed. "What?"

Bonnie shook her head, "It's nothing."

"It obviously is something if it upsets you." Elena stated, leaning towards Dawn, who didn't want to get involved in the conversation that seemed to be slowly evolving into a minor disagreement.

"I just don't think you should date him…" Bonnie admitted as Elena's brows furrowed.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm not saying don't date the guy. I'm just saying take it slow." Bonnie sighed, running a hand through her hair as Dawn clutched the books she had just got out her locker, to her bump.

Apparently Bonnie was getting a bad vibe of Stefan. Dawn knew what the girl meant, something about him seemed a little… Off. But then again, Dawn also thought he seemed caring and kind. Dawn assumed he was simply hiding something from them. Dawn just thought that Elena should get to know Stefan a little bit more before rushing into things.

Dawn could recall being six years old and asking her father if the devil was real. Her father had been surprised by the question, but had calmly placed a hand on her shoulder and simply replied; _"The devil is real. And he's not a little red man with horns and a tail. He can be beautiful. Because he's a fallen angel and he used to be god's favourite. Be careful who you trust, Dawn."_

Dawn could recall being terrified for weeks after her father told her that. She had been wary around Caroline and asked her questions, while wishing to receive 'stereotypical Christian answers' to see if she was the devil or not. Dawn snorted at the memory.

"Maybe you could get to know him a little more." Dawn quietly, piped up, nervously chewing her bottom lip as her palms sweated. Both Elena and Bonnie were aware that Dawn was still wary around them, rightfully so, meaning the two were trying to ease Dawn in any way they could.

Nodding in agreement, Bonnie pointed towards Dawn. "See." Bonnie added as Elena frowned. Giving her friend a pointed look, Elena sighed. "You were the one who said to go for it."

Bonnie shrugged in reply. "Now I'm saying take it slow."

Sighing in defeat, Elena turned to Dawn for help.

Clearing her throat, Dawn nervously played with the end of one of her braids. "M-Maybe she's right…" Dawn stuttered nervously, afraid of upsetting Elena. Dawn didn't want to upset her newly made friends. The blonde had only befriended one person, and now she had three friends, Dawn didn't want to ruin any chances of keeping her friends.

Seeing this, Elena gave Dawn a small smile and placed her palm on Dawn's hand. "It's okay."

Turning to Bonnie, Elena didn't move her hand. "Why the about-face?"

"It's not an about-face. You're single for the first time in your entire high school career. It's the perfect time to play the field."

The doppelgänger and witch failed to notice the panic flashing across Dawn's features as she pulled her hand from Elena's.

Elena rolled her eye. "Oh, because I'm so that girl. Seriously, what are you not saying?"

The Petrova doppelgänger smiled when a soft giggle erupted from Dawn's throat.

"It's stupid." Bonnie replied, giving Dawn a smile when she noticed the concern within Dawn's eyes.

"Bonnie..."

"What?"

"Spit it out."

Letting out a sigh, Bonnie turned to her best friend. "I accidentally touched Stefan. And I got a really bad feeling."

Dawn's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Is that it? Bonnie." Elena exclaimed.

The doppelgänger had been assuming that Bonnie had seen Stefan doing something bad, so Elena was slightly irritated that this was about Bonnie's weird-witchy-touch thing.

Seeing the annoyance in Elena's eyes, Dawn tried to ease up the tension. "Uh, maybe you were just, uh, getting the wrong feelings?" Dawn tried as the Bennett witch shook her head.

"I don't think so. It was bad, bad!"

Elena tried to hide her annoyance. "Is this the whole witch mojo thing again?"

Not wanting to get involved in the argument, Dawn nervously continued to gnarl on her lower lip. "I'm gonna look for Care." Dawn murmured, hurrying off before the two could say anything.

Elena sighed as herself and Bonnie exchanged guilty glances.

 **…**

Now stood on the football pitch, the tension was now gone between Elena and Bonnie. The two had talked about it and Elena had come up with a master plan to get Bonnie to know Stefan. The doppelgänger was going to host a dinner party and invite Stefan, Bonnie and Dawn. Bonnie wasn't aware of Elena's master plan yet.

Both herself and Bonnie felt awful for making Dawn uncomfortable. The two had done everything they could to make Dawn feel comfortable and yet they just ruined all their progress over a petty argument.

Elena was snapped out of her thoughts as Stefan approached her and Bonnie. Straightening her posture, the doppelgänger let a smile spread across her features.

"Good morning, Elena. Good morning, Bonnie." Stefan greeted, a faint smile on his lips as the Bennett witch eyed him suspiciously.

Seeing Bonnie's rather rude gaze, Elena sent her friend a begging look. "Hey, um, I'm gonna see how Dawn's doing with making up with Caroline. So I'll see you guys later." Bonnie replied.

Without another word, Bonnie scurried off towards the school building.

"Bonnie, wait..." Elena's protest was useful as Bonnie continued to storm down the hall.

Turning to Stefan, Elena frowned when she noticed the grimace on Stefan's face. "She doesn't like me very much." Stefan murmured, rubbing the back of his neck as Elena bit her lip.

Elena wasn't sure on what to say. "She doesn't know you. She's my best friend. She's just looking out for me. But when she does, she will love you." Elena sighed, her lips parting as she decided to bring up her plans.

"Here's what we're going to do. Are you free tonight?"

Not knowing what Elena was getting at, Stefan nodded, his brows furrowed as he did so.

"Yes."

A beautiful smile spread across Elena's features as Stefan watched, smitten by the sight of her doe orbs lighting up. "Perfect. Dinner, my house. 8:00. You, me, Dawn and Bonnie. You two will spend some quality time and Bonnie and Dawn will get to see what a great guy you are. Mission accomplished."

Before Stefan could reply, the vampire turned and caught the ball which had been thrown at him with brutal, yet human force. Without hesitation, Stefan threw the ball into Tyler's chest, causing the teen to fall to the ground just by the force. Matt's jaw dropped as Elena laughed.

 **…**

With her fair brows furrowed, Dawn's eyes scanned the halls for the similar head of blonde. Dawn had been searching all morning for Caroline, and now it was getting concerning. Caroline rarely skipped school, but maybe their minor fight had upset her so much that she didn't fancy going to school.

Guilt spread throughout Dawn's bones at the thought. What if Caroline wasn't okay?

For a last resort, Dawn fished her old, embarrassing mobile out her pocket and flipped the screen open. Clicking on Caroline's contact, Dawn wrote a short but sweet message to her friend.

 _Caroline: Where are you? I'm worried about you, I'm sorry about yesterday. Please call me xoxo_

After sending the text, Dawn closed her phone and placed it back in her pocket.

"Have you found her?"

Dawn jumped at Bonnie's voice. With widened eyes, Dawn span around to face Bonnie, holding her hand over her heart as she tried to calm down.

Smiling apologetically, Bonnie glanced at the girl in concern. "Sorry." Bonnie apologized.

Bonnie found herself confused by the amount of guilt she was feeling. Bonnie had only made her jump, but it honestly felt like she had stabbed Dawn in the belly or something. The guilt gave her a burning feeling in her own stomach. It physically ached.

"It's fine." Dawn reassured, slowing her breathing down as she awkwardly fiddled with the edges of Elena's aunt's jumper.

The burning feeling in Bonnie's stomach slowly stopped, but it was still there. Once Dawn sent Bonnie a reassuring smile, her body almost relaxed, but she still had a burning feeling.

Clearing her throat, Bonnie tucked a loose strand of wavy hair behind her ear. What was wrong with her? Bonnie had only gotten close to Dawn in a week or so and yet Bonnie felt loyal to her, like she owed her something. Strange...

"So, have you found Caroline?" Bonnie asked as Dawn frowned, shaking her head in concern.

"No… She's not at school or answering her phone… I'm really worried about her." Dawn murmured. Dawn had even asked some of the cheer squad if they had seen Caroline, however, Dawn was met with dirty looks and was told to go away.

The witch sighed. It wasn't like Caroline to skip school, especially when there was a new hot guy attending.

"Do… D-Do you think it's my fault?" Dawn panicked, worried she had upset her best friend.

The burning sensation returned in Bonnie's stomach as the brunette placed a hand on Dawn's shoulder. "No, you didn't do anything wrong, okay? Don't worry, I'm sure Caroline's fine." Bonnie smiled as Dawn nodded and nervously bit her lower lip.

"I hope so…"

 **…**

With a smile on her face, Elena shook her head as she walked besides Stefan, her hip bumping his every so often. Shaking her head, Katherine's doppelgänger continued to give Stefan a smile that made him weak in the knees.

Despite their looks, Stefan soon found out that Elena was _nothing_ like Katherine. Elena Gilbert was sweet, considerate, compassionate and selfless. Katherine Pierce was manipulative, selfish, cold at times and devious. The two were polar opposites.

"That throw was insane. I didn't know you played football." Elena exclaimed, showing her pearly teeth as her large doe orbs lit up.

Stefan could barely keep his eyes of Elena. Something about Elena drew Stefan to her, and it wasn't the fact that she looked exactly like Katherine, Stefan hoped that anyway.

"I used to. It was a long time ago." Stefan shrugged coolly, a faint smile on his lips.

Still clinging to her history books, Elena arched a brow. "So why don't you try out for the team?"

The vampire immediately dismissed the idea.

"Yeah, I don't think so."

Elena's brows furrowed in confusion, Stefan was a great at catching alone, even if running wasn't his strong point, it wouldn't matter. And anyway, Elena had never seen such a great catch, and she was forced yearly to watch the Super bowl with her dad. Well, she used to. Elena would have killed to sit through a boring, uninteresting American football match with Jeremy and her dad for just one more time.

And anyways, Stefan caught and threw one ball better than Mystic High had ever done in fifty years!

"So you don't like football?" Elena questioned.

Stefan shrugged again. "No, I love football. I think it's a great sport. But in this case, I don't think football likes me. You saw Tyler over there, and we both know how Matt feels."

Frowning, Elena sighed. She honestly felt bad for Stefan, Elena knew Matt and Tyler were being mean to Stefan due to her breaking up with Matt. And although Matt was her friend, Elena just wished he'd move on, she had.

"They don't know you. To them, your mysterious loner guy. Wouldn't hurt to be part of. Make some friends." Elena encouraged, giving Stefan a small smile as Stefan scoffed.

"Says the girl who spends her alone time writing in a cemetery."

Elena let out a small laugh and shook her head. "Hey, come on. There's more to me than just a gloomy graveyard girl. There's a whole other Elena that you have yet to meet. She was into everything, very busy."

Smiling faintly, Stefan noted the cheerful glow in Elena's eyes. "Well, I look forward to meeting her. And when will that be?"

"Soon. She's working on it." Elena promised.

As the two reached the end of the hall, Elena spotted a puzzled Dawn. Turning to Stefan, Elena gave him another smile. "Excuse me."

Walking away from Stefan, Elena gave Dawn a smile. The stress was clearly evident on Dawn's pretty features.

Placing a hand on Dawn's shoulder, Elena noted that Bonnie wasn't with Dawn. "Hey, you okay?" Elena asked, concerned for the attractive, pregnant blonde.

Nodding, Dawn tried and failed to give Elena a convincing smile. "Yeah… I'm just, uh, a little worried about Care." Dawn admitted, pressing her plump lips together in a straight line. Dawn was too stressed to even notice Elena's hand on her shoulder.

Furrowing her brows together, Elena was slightly concerned at the statement. It wasn't like Caroline to skip school, especially while considering the fact that cheer practice was after school.

"I'm sure she's fine." Elena said, unknowingly repeating Bonnie's own words as Dawn bit her lower lip but said nothing.

Hearing Dawn's silence, Elena rubbed Dawn's shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Dawn."

Nodding, Dawn sighed. "Yeah. But what if she's not? What if she did something reckless and got herself in trouble, all because of me being silly." Dawn murmured as Elena's brows furrowed.

"Look, Caroline shouldn't have said what she said, plus Caroline isn't reckless enough to get herself into big trouble." Elena reassured, attempting to comfort the blonde.

However, Elena's words didn't comfort Dawn.

Like Bonnie, Elena found herself almost connected to Dawn. It was strange, before Elena had no interest in Dawn but ever since Elena began talking to Dawn… It was almost like Dawn's presence… Calmed her?

As the two continued to talk, Stefan watched from the other side of the hall. Something about the pregnant blonde was… Unhuman? Stefan wasn't entirely sure how to explain it, Dawn wasn't a vampire due to her being pregnant, Stefan couldn't rule out Dawn being a witch, but he wasn't sure she was a witch, but who knew?

Something about the girl glowed unnaturally. Dawn was very pretty, but Stefan knew this wasn't normal beauty, this was supernatural beauty. It was something Katherine had, and Elena has, despite being human.

But also the blonde had a calming aura around her, one that represented peace and equality.

 **…**

Strolling into her history class, Dawn blushed when she noticed everyone in her class was seated and currently placing their stationary on the cheap timber desks. Meeting Tanner's scowling gaze, Dawn quickly turned away

Clutching her school stationary supplies in her arms, Dawn murmured to herself as she dragged herself into her history class.

"Stupid…. Ugh…No bag…" Dawn murmured, walking into the class without looking where she was going.

This was proven to be a big mistake as Dawn collided with a firm figure, causing her pencils, pens and notepads to fall in a large cluttered puddle on the floor. Dawn's face was already heated without looking up as she struggled to bend over and pick up her school supplies off the floor.

"S-Sorry."

Countless giggles echoed around the class as Elena rushed over to help Dawn. Once the two had picked up the contents of Dawn's locker, Dawn gave Elena a thankful smile and turned to re-apologize to the person she had bumped into.

It seemed that luck wasn't on Dawn's side today, as when Dawn turned to face the firm figure she had bumped into, the blonde met eyes with a scowling Tanner.

"Take a seat." The teacher replied lowly, rolling his eyes as Dawn face turned from pink to beet-root in a millisecond.

Seeing Dawn's embarrassment, Elena rolled her eyes at the cruel teacher before taking Dawn's elbow and guiding the pregnant girl to a seat beside her own.

"I forgot about supplies." Elena said, shaking her head as she glanced at the large stack of stationary. "I can put them in my bag if you want?" Elena suggested as Dawn smiled and nodded.

"I-If it's not too much trouble." Dawn murmured.

With a contented smile on her face, Elena shook her head. "It's fine. No trouble!" Elena reassured, picking her own bag up.

As Elena stuffed the unneeded content into her bag, Dawn's gaze landed on the empty chair beside the window.

Her old chair. A chair that was covered in dark graffiti, spit balls and was barely standing on four legs.

Turning back to Elena, Dawn smiled. It was nice to have friends. Dawn had Caroline, but having one friend wasn't the same as having three.

"Thanks." Dawn whispered, opening her notepad as Tanner began his lesson plan.

Elena gave the girl a gummy smile. "It's fine."

 **…**

Rubbing her eyes, Dawn couldn't help but yawn as Tanner continued to blab on and on and on, about the dates of historical significance. Noticing this, Elena covered her mouth to prevent the flamboyant giggle erupting from her pink tinted lips. Dawn blushed before glancing at Bonnie.

The brunette's attention was focused on her notepad as she repeatedly scribbled on the lined paper. Furrowing her brows, Dawn managed to nosily make out the numbers on the pad. 8, 14 and 22.

Deciding to mind her own business, Dawn reluctantly turned back to the board where Tanner was dramatically scribbling nonsense sentences matched with dates all over the outdated chalk board. In the corner of her eye, Dawn suddenly noticed how close Stefan was sitting too Elena and herself.

"World war II ended in... Anyone got anything? Miss Juan? 1945."

Jumping, Dawn's heart pounded in surprise when she noticed Tanner was standing right near her desk. Dawn had been so caught up in a daydream that she hadn't noticed how close Tanner actually was.

Glancing down at her notebook, Dawn frowned. Was she supposed to be making notes? As Dawn messily scribbled the blackboards contents in her notebook, Dawn barely noticed Stefan and Elena quietly talking.

"Pearl Harbor." Tanner reaped as Dawn glanced at the notes. There was no way Dawn would be able to read them…

Murmuring to herself, Dawn underlined some parts and attempted to make the text clearer.

"Miss Ellis."

Dawn's head shot up as she looked up at Tanner like a deer in headlights.

"Y-yeah?"

Tanner rolled his eyes. "Pearl Harbor?"

Dawn blushed in confusion, what did he want? "W-What about it?" Dawn asked nervously, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as Tanner sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"The date, Miss Ellis." The sly teacher confirmed.

"Um…"

"December 7, 1941."

Turning so hard Dawn thought she'd have whiplash, Dawn's gaze landed on Stefan, who sat up in his chair, a knowing grin on his face as the teacher scowled. Glancing at Dawn briefly, Stefan smiled when he noticed her expression. Clearly relieved, her posture was more relaxed, however her eyes were wide and her lips parted.

"Thank you, Miss Ellis." Tanner replied, trying to embarrass Stefan as some classmates let out obnoxious giggles. Dawn frowned.

However, Stefan shrugged the comment off. There was no way he'd be intimidated by a stuck-up teacher who picked on the weak. Stefan was like Dawn's Robin Hood!

"Anytime."

Dawn turned back to Tanner, the blonde immediately sensed his annoyance. The teacher was obviously pissed that Stefan had deflected his humiliation.

Challengingly, Tanner turned from the board. "Very well. The fall of the Berlin wall."

Everyone in the class turned to Stefan, waiting for his answer.

"1989. I'm good with dates, sir." Stefan shrugged as Tanner scowled, looking much like a spoilt child who hadn't gotten their way.

"Are you? How good? Keep it to the year. Civil Rights Act."

"1964."

"John F. Kennedy assassination."

"1963."

Tanner scowled. "Martin Luther King."

"68."

"Lincoln."

"1865."

"Roe vs. Wade."

"1973." Stefan replied.

Each date was accurate, and Stefan knew this, after all he had lived through all of these events.

"Brown vs. Board."

"1954."

"The battle of Gettysburg."

"1863."

An idea hit Tanner as he recalled one of the subjects that even his most educated students got mixed up with. Hopefully this would catch Stefan out.

"Korean war."

"1950 to 1953."

The teacher let out an obnoxious laugh. "Ha! It ended in '52."

Stefan's brows furrowed as the teacher laughed. The Korean war had ended in 1953, not 52'. Clearing his throat, Stefan spoke up. "Uh, actually, sir, it was '53."

Tanner scowled and looked towards a brunette called Dana, who was sitting at the front. "Look it up, somebody. Quickly." Tanner demanded as multiple students pulled out their phones and quickly got google up.

Awkwardly, Dana raised her hand to catch Tanner's attention. "It was 19...53."

The class erupted into laughter as Tanner's face flushed red with anger. As Dawn's lips curved into a pretty smile, Elena turned to Stefan, impressed.

 **…**

Peering towards Bonnie, Dawn bit her lower lip as she glanced at the doppelgänger. Currently, Elena was trying to encourage Dawn to come to cheerleading practice as Caroline would show up. Caroline Forbes, head cheerleader of Mystic High, would never, ever miss cheer practice.

"I-I don't know."

Dawn really didn't want to be around other pretty skinny girls. Wasn't it enough, she was best friends with Caroline and growing close with Bonnie and Elena? The three were the most beautiful girls in school, so Dawn didn't need anyone else making her look ugly.

Giving the blonde a reassuring smile, Elena placed a hand on Dawn's elbow. "Come on. It'll be fun and anyways, it's not like you have to do cheerleading." Elena urged as Dawn shook her head, unsure of what to do.

"I-I know, but…" Dawn trailed off nervously, wiping the back of her palms along Elena's aunt's black leggings.

Not wanting to force Dawn into anything, Elena gave her an encouraging smile.

"Look, I'm not going to force you into coming. But I was thinking it might be good, I mean you can make amends with Caroline and then the two of us can be miserable on the bleachers." Elena giggled, causing Dawn to giggle along with her.

Raising a brow at Elena, Dawn's lips parted. "Don't you like cheerleading then?" Dawn asked.

The brunette shook her head and pulled a repulsed expression. "No! I use to love it, but now…" Elena trailed off as Dawn nodded in agreement.

"I'm thinking of quitting, but I'll give it one more go." Elena continued.

Dawn shook her head. "How are you going to tell Caroline that?"

"I have no idea!" Elena giggled.

Stopping at her own locker, Elena cleared her throat as she put in her combination. "Anyway, I was also wondering if you'd come to dinner at mine. Me, you, Bonnie and Stefan."

Dawn paused for a moment before nodding, a smile curving across her lips. "I, uh, actually I'd love to."

 **…**

Stood nearby a group of slender, bronzed cheerleaders, Dawn had never honestly felt so out of place as the girls around giggled and gossiped like a bunch of desperate hens. Glancing at the cheerleaders, Dawn scowled when she realized how bad she stuck out.

All the girls surrounding her were athletic, tall and pretty much all of them had toned, prominent abbs. Dawn looked like a gazelle surrounded by a pack of sleek, dangerous lioness. Clearly, Dawn was the shortest, the palest and Dawn was certain she didn't have tanned, toned abbs. Well, unless her toned abbs were hiding under her baby bump.

Dawn truly regretted giving in to Elena's pleas.

Running a hand through her blunt, honey blonde locks, Dawn failed to notice Stefan sitting on the bleachers as the broad rather talentless football players pranced around like a bunch of peacocks, on the opposite side of the field to the cheerleaders.

Twirling a strand of blonde around her index finger, Dawn nervously bit her lower lip while consciously reminding herself why she had come to the practice. Caroline hadn't even shown up yet, which was odd for Caroline.

Everybody knew Caroline Forbes was an utter and complete control freak. Caroline was used to plan school events meaning the blonde cheerleader lived by the rule of punctuality.

"Oh, and you're coming to dinner tonight-" Dawn was cut out of her thoughts when Elena grabbed Dawn's forearm. "-Dawn's coming as well." Elena added, giving Bonnie a pleading smile.

The brunette raised a challenging eyebrow. "I am?"

Elena nodded in reply. "Mm-hmm. You, me, Dawn and Stefan. You have to give him a chance." Elena sighed. Dawn felt a flash of guilt, run through her as she met Elena's gaze. Stefan wasn't a bad guy, Dawn had a good feeling about him, but at the same time Dawn felt he was hiding something. Something big.

Trying to help Elena, Dawn gave Bonnie a strained smile. "It'll be nice." Dawn piped up as Elena gave Dawn a thankful smile. At least one of Elena's friends liked Stefan, well, at least was willing to give him a chance.

Looking from Dawn to Elena, Bonnie knew there was no way she'd be able to get out the dinner. So instead, Bonnie tried to chance the subject.

"Tonight's no good. Have you seen Caroline? I texted her like a hundred times."

As the words left Bonnie's mouth, Dawn immediately took the bait and looked around worriedly for her blonde best friend. Dawn hadn't spoken to Caroline since their disagreement and currently, Dawn was feeling responsible for her best friend. What if something was wrong with Caroline? Dawn had spammed Caroline's phone to pieces and even emailed the blonde about one hundred times!

"D-Do you think she's okay? W-W-What if she's not and it's all my fault?-" Dawn began to hyperventilate, her words strained as they barely managed to come out. However, Dawn's words were cut off by Elena rubbing her back.

Bonnie immediately felt guilty for getting Dawn in a state. Clearly the pregnant blonde was worried for her best friend.

"I'm sure she's fine, Dawn. Okay? Don't worry. Bonnie is just trying to change the subject." Elena's accusing gaze landed on the guiltily witch who smiled sheepishly.

"Don't change the subject, Bonnie Bennett! You're going to be there."

Sighing reluctantly, Bonnie scowled. "Fine. I'll go. I'm sorry Dawn." Bonnie apologized, hugging the pregnant blonde who nodded.

Bonnie chuckled when Dawn stiffened at her contact. Clearly Dawn wasn't used to others touching her. When Dawn was living with her father and stepmother, the two had never hugged her. And although Dawn was use to Caroline being a touchy-feeling person, Dawn still wasn't used to others hugging her.

Smiling, Elena joined the group hug as Dawn visibly relaxed. "Good."

 **…**

Meeting Tanner's intimidating gaze, Stefan frowned as the teacher lectured him. Currently, Stefan wanted to join the football team. Like Elena had said, it might help him make friends with others. As stupid as it sounded, Stefan wanted the most human life as possible, and making friends with high school students was the normal thing Stefan could do, well, for a vampire anyway.

"Varsity trials were last spring, Mr. Salvatore." Tanner replied, puffing out his chest as he clutched the clipboard in his hand.

Stefan frowned. "I wasn't here then, sir." Stefan reminded the teacher.

It seemed that the history teacher and football coach wasn't the biggest fan of him, perhaps because of Stefan embarrassing the teacher in class. But in all fairness, Tanner had tried to embarrass poor Dawn, so in Stefan's eyes, the teacher had got what was coming to him.

"And you're not here now, as far as I'm concerned."

Yep… The teacher _really_ didn't like him. Deciding to apologize to the teacher, Stefan sighed. He hoped this would work, but he wouldn't be surprised if it didn't. The teacher was an ass.

"Mr. Tanner, I realize that you and I didn't get off to the best start, and I want to apologize for that. I've played football before. Wide receiver, mostly, and I'm pretty good."

Snidely, Tanner rolled his eyes and glanced down at his clipboard, checking who was playing wide receiver in the practice game. "Well, I won't be asking you who won the super bowl in '71."

Flashing back to the super bowl in 1971, Stefan's brows furrowed in concentration as he remembered the team, day and time. "71 was the... Sorry. I...I understand that, sir."

The history teacher and coach rolled his eyes once again, but sighed, reluctantly. Their school team stank, what would it matter if the new boy tried. Stefan would either get knocked on his ass or he'd be relatively good. It was a win-win situation.

"Just to see you get knocked on your ass. Borrow some gear. Go! Before I change my mind. Let's run it again!"

As Stefan went to fetch the gear, Matt scowled at Tyler, who was practicing besides him. "First my girlfriend, now my team?"

Smirking, Tyler nudged his best friend, watching as Stefan pulled on the old, smelly football gear. "Dude, this is an opportunity. Football's a contact sport. Sometimes people get hurt. Whoo! Ha ha!"

 **…**

As Elena and Bonnie helped Dawn sit on the grass, Dawn flicked her head back as the hot sun beamed down on the three. Unlike Elena and Bonnie, Dawn was wearing black leggings and a rather thick jumper, meaning she was currently overheating.

Seeing this, Elena spoke up. "I think I have some extra gym shorts in my locker if you want to change?" Elena offered as Bonnie quickly piped up.

"I also have a spare shirt in my bag." Bonnie added.

Dawn shook her head but smiled at their sweetness. "N-No, I'll be fine. I swear."

Unsurely, Elena nodded. "Well, if you change your mind, just ask, kay'." Elena added as Dawn nodded and smiled.

Despite the hot Virginia weather, all Dawn could think about was Caroline. What if the blonde wasn't okay? Dawn immediately cursed to herself, she should have called Liz as soon as Caroline didn't see any of her messages. Caroline never went anywhere without her phone. The girl also constantly had it glued in her hands on a loud setting.

While the two girls began stretching, Dawn rolled her jumper up slightly, showing the bottom of her baby bump. Dawn honestly didn't care if she looked big anymore, she just wanted to cool down. The girl could have easily accepted Bonnie and Elena's offers for cooler clothes, but Dawn would have felt guilty if she borrowed their clothes.

"Seriously, where is Caroline?" Dawn murmured, grabbing her notebook and using it as a fan.

Elena sighed, throwing her hair up into a high ponytail. "I don't know. It's not like her." The brunette murmured, wrapping the bobble around the top of her ponytail.

"I'll try her again." Bonnie informed Dawn, giving the girl a small smile as she pulled her phone out.

Before Dawn could say anything, Caroline Forbes rolled up in a sleek, navy car. Dawn wasn't sure what car Caroline was in, all Dawn did know was that Caroline was with a guy. Dawn winced when she noticed the face in the car as Caroline leant over and kissed the driver.

Damon…

It was Damon…

Dawn's lower lip trembled as she tried to ignore the feelings building up in the pit of her stomach. Dawn sighed, what did she have to be upset about? It wasn't like Damon was hers, hell, Dawn had only talked to him for an hour… But despite all this, Dawn had liked the man.

He was kind, sweet and funny. But most of all, he was different. He wasn't like… _Him_ …

"Uh..."

"Oh, my God. That must be the mystery guy from the grill."

"That's not a mystery guy. That's Damon Salvatore."

"Salvatore, as in Stefan?!"

As Caroline got out the car, Dawn met Damon's gaze. Immediately, the smug gaze softened as he sent her a smile and a cheeky wink. Damon quickly pulled away and speed down the street as Dawn wiped her teary eyes.

Why was she surprised? A guy like him belonged with a beautiful girl like Caroline, not an ugly, pregnant, freak like her.

Clearing her throat, Dawn managed to hide her tears. "E-E-E-Excuse me." Dawn choked out, climbing up from the ground as she headed towards the school building.

Neither Bonnie or Elena managed to detect the tears that began to course down Dawn's cheeks as the pregnant blonde headed towards the school toilet. All Dawn could hear was Caroline's voice as the tears continued to rush down her cheeks.

"I got the other brother. Hope you don't mind. Sorry I'm late, girls. I, uh, was busy. All right, let's start with the double pike herkey hurdler, what do you say?"

 **…**

Dabbing under her eyes, Dawn carefully made sure to not smudge any more of her makeup. Once Dawn had made sure the little amount of mascara she was wearing, wasn't smudged, Dawn screwed the tissue up and put it in the bin.

Turning back to the mirror, Dawn tucked a strand of blonde behind her ear as she frowned to herself. Dawn was currently feeling like the worst person in the world. Although she was hurt by Damon and Caroline's 'relationship of some sort', Dawn knew it wasn't Caroline's fault, or Damon's.

Why wouldn't Damon go for Caroline anyway? And who was she to be upset by Caroline? Caroline didn't know about Dawn's crush on Damon, Caroline didn't even know Dawn had met a guy.

Glancing down at her wrist watch, Dawn frowned when she noticed the time. She had officially spent thirty minutes in the bathroom. Great… The cheerleaders would be talking now. Dawn's nerves began to regenerate in her belly. An overwhelming anxiety ran through her body as a her hands began to tingle and twitch.

Dawn was cut out of her daydream as the tap came on, spouting water out at an unnatural speed. Jumping back and placing a hand over her heart, Dawn's eyes widened as she looked around.

No one had turned the tap on, it had just been Dawn in the bathroom, so how did the tap randomly come on? Slowly, Dawn wrapped her fingers around the tap and turned it off. Weird things had been happening to Dawn. First the flower and now the tap… Maybe it was god? That was the only relevant explanation. Or even a convinence.

Taking one last deep breath, Dawn headed out the bathroom door, only to blindly crash into Caroline.

"Dawnie!" The blonde piped up, a scarf around her neck as she flicked her blonde ponytail over her shoulder. Both girls opened their mouths to talk, only to find each other saying the exact same words.

"Look, I'm sorry-" Both Dawn and Caroline said. The two paused before bursting into laughter and hugging. Dawn's previous irritation about Caroline and Damon vanished into the thin air.

Embracing, Caroline sighed and wrapped her arms around Dawn's waist. "I missed you so much." Caroline whined as Dawn frowned and pulled away from the embrace.

"Me too. I was really worried about you, Care. You weren't answering your phone, I thought something had happened to you." Dawn murmured, nervously pulling on the sleeves of Jenna's old jumper as Caroline frowned.

Caroline felt a surge of guilt rush through her as the blonde's eyes landed on Dawn's pregnant belly. "I'm sorry. I was… Distracted." Caroline giggled, shaking her head as Dawn raised a brow but said nothing.

 **...**

Hunched over, Matt's voice was loud and clear as he spoke to his team. Tyler stood beside his best friend as the two continued to look at Stefan. Sadly, Matt's ex's new love interest was the best player he'd ever seen. And this annoyed both Matt and Tyler to both ends.

"Blue lady! Blue lady! Set, hut! Go! Come on, Tyler, cover it! Let's do it." Matt called, his voice booming as Tanner glanced at his clipboard.

Bringing the whistle to his mouth, Tanner blew. "Get it."

Glancing at the coach, Matt cupped his hands around his mouth. "Line up!"

As Stefan played like a professional on the field, Elena watched from her spot on the bench. Caroline had told her to sit out before going to find Dawn. Noticing this, Matt turned to Tyler, a scowl on his lips.

"I hate to say it, but he's got skills." Matt grumbled.

Giving his friend a smirk, the un-triggered wolf got into line-up. "I think he needs a buddy pass."

Furrowing his fair brows together, Matt gave his friend an unbelievable look. As much Matt knew it was wrong to treat Stefan like this, Matt couldn't help but want Stefan to get hurt. But not because Matt didn't like Stefan, only so Elena would go off the new boy. "Really?"

Nodding, Tyler slapped his friends back. "You don't get to walk on the field and act like you own the place after 5 minutes. Just hang one up there and I'll take care of the rest."

Stefan frowned as he listened into the conversation, but did nothing about it. "Do it again." Tanner called, causing Stefan's gaze to turn to the teacher.

"All right, let's huddle up. Set, hut!" Matt called.

Throwing the ball, Tyler slammed into Stefan, causing him to be knocked to the ground. "Oh! Whoo! Welcome to the team, buddy." Tyler smirked as Tanner looked up from the clipboard.

"You gonna live, Salvatore?" Tanner called as Tyler walked back over to Matt, a smirk on his face. Tanner looked at his new star player who was still on the floor.

Nodding, Stefan sat up. "Yeah."

Slightly relieved, Tanner nodded. "Walk it off, son."

It seemed that Tanner was taking a liking to Stefan due to his football skills. As Stefan got up off the floor, Matt frowned guiltily. Matt didn't want to be mean, he just still liked Elena. And part of Matt hoped the two would get back together. But with Stefan in the picture…. It was highly unlikely.

"Hey. That was my bad." Matt apologized as Stefan got up from the ground. Matt could feel Tyler's burning gaze on his back.

Nodding, Stefan gave the fellow player a strained smile. "It's all right."

"Yeah."

Blowing on the whistle, Tanner cupped his hands around his mouth. "All right." Tanner called, seeing Stefan standing and walking perfectly fine.

As Matt walked away, the blonde human failed to notice Stefan's broken finger. Feeling a minor pain in his finger, Stefan glanced down to see it broken. Immediately, Stefan popped his finger back into place before lining up with the rest of the team.

 **…**

Opening her locker, Dawn pulled her mobile out as Elena came up behind her.

"Hey, you okay? You ran off earlier."

Jumping, Dawn turned around and placed a hand over her heart. Elena had literally scared the life out of Dawn _and_ her baby.

"Sorry." Elena apologized as Dawn smiled and shut her locker.

"It's fine, just' made me jump is all." Dawn replied, making sure her locker was securely locked before turning to face the brunette.

Dawn had been gone for over forty minutes, and Elena was beyond worried for her. As soon as Caroline and Stefan's brother: Damon, had showed up, Dawn had immediately darted away.

"And I'm fine, Elena. Really." Dawn lied.

The doppelgänger immediately recognized Dawn's lies. Elena had been lying about being okay throughout the whole summer, so Elena knew what to expect when a person lied.

"Dawn." Elena frowned, her eyes soft yet accusing as Dawn nervously played with the ends of one of her French braids.

"I-I'm fine, Elena. Really."

Elena was still not convinced. Dawn honestly didn't want to burden her feelings onto Elena. The tanned cheerleader had been through enough already with her parents death, Elena didn't need Dawn's stupid feelings and secrets weighing her down as well.

"Dawn, if something bothering you…" Elena trailed off, not wanting to push Dawn too much.

"I appreciate your concern, Elena. But I'm fine." Dawn gave Elena a sweet smile for extra effect.

Still unsure, Elena decided to not push her new friend. "Okay. But if you want to talk, I'm here. And also, I was wondering if you wanted to get ready together for the dinner party at mine? You don't have to but it be nice. We could do each other's hair and makeup." Elena smiled as Dawn nervously chewed on her lower lip.

 **…**

Entering his bedroom, Stefan's good mood turned sour at the sight of his older brother. Damon was currently lounged in one of Stefan's chairs with Stefan's current century diary in his arms. Without looking up, Damon smirked as his eyes scanned the pages that contained his baby brother's bursting emotions.

"How were tryouts? Did you make the team? Very Emerson, the way you reveal your soul with so many... Adjectives." Damon smirked.

Storming over to his brother, Stefan tore the diary from Damon's grip, a scowl marked into his lips. "What are you doing here?" Stefan demanded.

The younger sibling knew his brother too well. Damon hated small towns, he thought they were boring and tedious. And there was no way Damon came back for Stefan. As far as Stefan knew, Damon hated him. Once the two had an unbreakable bond. The two Salvatore brothers, best friends… But Katherine Pierce ruined all of that.

If Stefan could take back his fascination of Katherine then he would, but the past was the past. And the past couldn't be changed. All Stefan could do was move on and try and fix his relationship with his brother.

But every time Stefan let his guard down and let Damon back into his life, Damon would either kill the ones he loved or drive Stefan over the edge, causing him to fall into the tight grip of the ripper inside of him.

"I've come to apologize. I've been doing some thinking, some soul searching, and... I want us to start over. We need to put the past behind us. You're my little brother, and if you want to live a normal, happy human life, then I want that for you. Maybe I can do it, too. That I can learn to be a non-living living person. Maybe there's hope for both of us."

The raven haired vampire tried to keep a straight face, however, by the end of his speech an unwelcome smirk appeared.

"You know, it doesn't have to be this way, Damon." Stefan tried, frowning as Damon chuckled.

Still smirking, Damon took a step forward. "Of course it doesn't. I saw Elena today, BTW. That means 'by the way.' She was at cheerleading practice. She looked so perky in her little short shorts. But not only that, little Dawnie looked cute with her hair in virtuous school-girl braids." Damon smirked as Stefan growled under his breath and took a threatening step forward.

"Just...simmer down, I didn't even go near her. I've got my own high school student now. Ooh, that reminds me...I gotta run. I have a date. Sweaty palms. Wish me luck."

 **…**

Tilting her head back, Dawn smiled shyly as Elena ran the brush through her hair. The Petrova doppelgänger had offered to help Dawn get ready for the dinner party after their encounter in the halls.

"You have such nice hair." Elena moaned, reaching over to grab the curling iron.

As Elena began loosely curling Dawn's locks, Dawn sighed as Coldplay's album flooded through Elena's cheap speakers. Due to Dawn having short hair, it literately took a matter of minutes to curl the blonde bob loosely.

"Can I tell you something?" Dawn said out of the blue, opening her eyes.

Meeting eyes with Dawn in the mirror, Elena pulled the curling iron away from Dawn's hair. "Of course."

"You know that guy Caroline came to practice with…" Dawn trailed off. She had never gossiped about a crush. Of course Dawn was use to Caroline blabbing about her crushes, but Dawn had never actually experienced a crush.

"Yeah, Stefan's brother." Elena said, turning the iron off as she lightly spritzed hairspray over Dawn's curly hair.

"Well… I met him in the grill one night… And he was really sweet and funny… And stupid me actually liked him." Dawn paused to let out a bitter laugh as she shook her head as her eyes filled with tears.

Elena's gaze softened in realization. That was why Dawn bolted away when Caroline showed up… "Oh, Dawn…" Elena frowned and pulled Dawn up from the seat.

"Damon doesn't know what he's missing. He'd be lucky to have you." Elena comforted, hugging Dawn who smiled.

"Look, I know we haven't been friends long, but honestly, you're the sweetest girl I've ever met. And if Damon is stupid enough to not like you, then it's his loss."

"Thanks Elena."

* * *

 **If anyone read the authors note, you will have noticed a sneak peak for chapter five and a spoiler, but now the authors note has been deleted as I don't leave them up for very long. Anyways, I'm sorry this chapter took a while to edit. I was literally loosing the will to live editing this. This chapter is 9,992 words, and my average updates are about 10,000 words. I also wanted to put a warning for the next chapter, it is going to contain very dark themes and triggering subjects. Sorry for any grammar mistakes.**

 **And very quickly I want to thank all of you guys! I mean 75 reviews, 87 favourites and 120 stories. I mean, I was even accepted in the top Damon OC community!**

 **Thanks for reading guys!**

 **In response to:**

 **PenelopeUK: She's a size 6 US which is a size 8 for us UK people;). Thanks hun and don't worry, I will:). Thanks for the review!**

 **Ghostlysights: Haha, no worries. Thanks and yeah, its not gonna be easy for Dawn, dealing with an unknown situation (well, I know, but no spoilers!), the loss of her family, her scepticism of the religion she grew up with and her pregnancy. Thanks for the lovely review!**

 **Guest (June the 9th): I know right, there's nothing worse than getting attached to a story and then reading an authors note announcing there not writing it anymore. Thanks for the review!**

 **Guest (June the 8th): Your too sweet! Thanks or the review and lovely comment!**

 **Vany: Thanks hun, your so sweet! I'm the same, Klaus, Kol, Kai and then I love Katherine. Team K! Woohoo! I'm actually thinking of publishing my Klaus fanfiction along with my Katherine one. I completely agree, but I do think Damon has changed so much since the first season. And to be fair, I'm pretty excited to write that! I'm on chapter seven so far (I think) which is Family Ties part two. I love Bonnie, I use to dislike her in the first two seasons due to how she was with Damon, but from s2 I loved her! But I don't love her as much as Caroline. Plus your reviews are lovely! I love it when you post long reviews. It shows you are really dedicated! Thanks again.**

 **Guest (June the seventh): Thanks hun, I actually found a sort of similar story but it's an Elijah OC and I panicked and was like "What If she thinks I copied?" and I almost took this down but decided against it. Completely different plots, shipping's and such, also I think the OC is pregnant with twins? But id recommend checking that out if you like this. I haven't read it recently, but it was interesting:). Plus I agree, Bonnie is sweet and has been used along the series. Thanks for the review!**

 **Kim: I cant wait to write Dawn confident and evolved. I don't want to rush into it though, I mean some fanfictions the OC's are automatically vampire-hunting badasses who don't fear anything. I don't really like fic's like that as I prefer to write more relatable (as relatable as a character in TVD can be) OC's. Everyone has flaws and cannot be confident. For example Dawn had a very dark past, anxiety issues, family issues and insomnia. Dawn isn't going to be automatically strong like Alaric for example. Dawn is a very complex character when you chip under her persona. Thanks for the review.**


	5. f i v e

Warning: Chapter contains strong, upsetting themes such as un-graphic suicide. Please do not read if you are easily upset by these themes. Dark suicidal parts will be marked with an **'XXXXXXXX'** just in case anyone wishes to not read those parts.

* * *

 **Dawn Ellis played by Dianna Argon**

A jubilant smile found its way onto Dawn's lips as Bonnie, Elena and Dawn all stood in the marble countered kitchen. It seemed that Elena had been excessively cleaning the kitchen, which the brunette had probably used as a coping and distraction strategy. Although she wouldn't admit it, Elena was extremely apprehensive for the dinner, which of course was understandable. This was the dinner that would either make or break Bonnie's opinion on Stefan. But Elena was also excited.

Whirling around to face Dawn, Bonnie smiled when she perceived Dawn's cute appearance. The pregnant blonde was currently wearing a floral, pastel dress. The dress clung to her newly curvaceous figure while highlighting her petite waist. Luckily the dress wasn't too tight on her bump, meaning Dawn felt more comfortable.

A rather enthusiastic Elena had done Dawn's makeup and hair for the dinner, the brunette had loosely curled Dawn's champagne locks, while for makeup, Elena had kept it natural with a swipe of mascara, light contouring and some matt lipstick. Of course Elena wasn't a makeup artist, but the brunette was relatively good at applying makeup.

Dawn had never felt more confident in her life.

"You look beautiful, Dawn." Bonnie's praise added to Dawn's increasing confidence.

Giving the girl a beaming smile, Dawn nervously tucked a curly strand of her hair behind her ear. "T-Thanks." Dawn blushed beetroot as Elena smiled at her modesty. Elena would never understand how Dawn didn't realize how pretty she was… Dawn was no Victoria Secrets model, but she was pretty, nevertheless.

"Anyways-" Bonnie paused to dramatically huff, causing a brief smile to curl upon Dawn's lips.

"You explain it. Last night, I'm watching Nine-o, a commercial breaks come on and I'm like, I bet it's that phone commercial. And sure enough, it's that guy and the girl with the bench, he flies to Paris and he flies back. They take a picture." Bonnie rambled on as Dawn glanced at Elena.

Ever since Dawn had confessed to Elena about her pathetic 'crush' on Damon, Dawn had been on edge. Dawn knew Elena wouldn't tell anyone, but part of Dawn reminded her that she hadn't been friends with Elena or Bonnie for long.

However, this wasn't the only reason Dawn was tense. Something weird was happening to her. Something she couldn't explain. Perhaps all the incidents she had experienced were an act of God, but Dawn wasn't convinced.

If Dawn had still been living with her father, Dawn would have immediately jumped to the conclusion that it was God. But living without her over-religious father and step-mother, Dawn had more time to think openly. Meaning theories speculated and her thought process on the subject had freedom.

Dawn was truly afraid she was beginning to doubt the idea of God… Perhaps it was because of what happened to her, but Dawn didn't understand. Why was there so much poverty and suffering in the world while some people practically bathed in money? Why did people starve to death daily while others dined on caviar and lobster? Why did justice become tainted by greed?

The worse of everything was Dawn couldn't tell anyone. Dawn knew if she told Caroline, or Liz about her strange experiences, the two would probably think she was going insane. The last thing Dawn wanted was for the two people who were actually there for her, to think she was insane.

"Oh, come on. That commercials on a constant loop."

"Fine. Well, how about this? Today I'm obsessed with numbers. 3 numbers. I keep seeing 8, 14, and 22. How weird is that?"

"Maybe we should play the lottery. Have you talked to your Grams?"

"She's just gonna' say it's because I'm a witch. I don't want to be a witch. Do you want to be a witch?"

"I don't want to be a witch."

Dawn was cut out of her daydream by Bonnie jutting out her lower lip as Elena snorted. Shaking her head, Elena smiled before glancing at Dawn. Immediately, a frown tarnished Elena's beautiful features, something was clearly bothering Dawn.

"Hey, you okay?" Elena asked as Bonnie leaned forward to look at Dawn in concern.

Running her fingers through her newly curled tresses, Dawn nodded. "Y-Yeah, just, uh, weird things have been happening to me." Dawn admitted, her palms damp as she nervously wiped her hands on her dress.

Immediately, Dawn regretted telling the two about the strange happenings in her life. The last thing Dawn wanted to do was to scare away her new friends…

"What do you mean?" Bonnie asked as Elena nodded curiously. It had to be pretty troubling, for it to bother Dawn so much it showed physically.

"What's happening?"

Dawn looked up, eyes wide as her lips parted before closing for a moment. Sensing Dawn's anxiety, Elena placed a hand on Dawn's shoulder. Dawn flinched at the contact but made no move to push Elena's hand off her shoulder.

Breath… Breath… Breath… Breath… It's just a hand… Just Elena's hand… Not his… Elena's…

"We won't judge you, Dawn. Trust me, I mean, Bonnie's grams thinks Bonnie's a witch." Elena smiled as Bonnie chuckled and nodded.

"W-Well, I was in the cemetery talking to my mom's grave- oh, uh, that sounds weird, doesn't it?" Dawn admitted nervously as Elena shook her head.

Tucking a strand of long, straight hair behind her ear, Elena shook her head. "It's not weird, Dawn. Remember, I go to my parents grave to write in my diary." Elena reminded her with a gentle smile as Bonnie nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, my grams goes to the store every night at 6:00PM to pick up a pack of cheese strings, a pack of screws and a bottle of wine, that's weird." Bonnie said as the three giggled at the thought of Shelia Bennett's strange habit.

Elena nodded and motioned for Dawn to go on.

"Well, I was speaking about God and I said that I wasn't sure I believed anymore…" Dawn trailed off as her eyebrows furrowed. Dawn failed to notice Elena and Bonnie's wide eyes.

Dawn Ellis had a religious upbringing due to her father being the town's pastor, the two found it strange that Dawn was losing faith. Something had to of made her stop believing, something _must_ have happened.

"And, when I did this white flower bloomed before my eyes. It wasn't just like a little stem; it was a fully bloomed rose. And then in the bathroom the tap went on without me touching it. It wasn't like a normal water pressure, as stupid as that sounds." Dawn babbled nervously as Bonnie's brows furrowed.

"Strange." Bonnie noted as Elena nodded in agreement.

"Tell me about it…" Dawn trailed off.

 **…**

Sat around the rectangular table, Dawn nervously glanced down at her plate of food. Although Elena had cooked a beautiful dinner, Dawn never really had much appetite these days.

Pushing the food around with her fork, Dawn nervously bit her lower lip and glanced at Stefan. "So, uh, did Tanner give you a hard time today?" The pregnant blonde asked timidly. Dawn's voice was like a whisper as she erupted the silence.

Elena had told Dawn about how Stefan caught a ball that Tyler had purposely thrown at him. Dawn frowned at the thought, why did Tyler throw a ball at Stefan? What did Stefan do to Tyler? But then again, as cruel as it was, Dawn thought Tyler was a jerk.

Giving her a grateful smile, Elena was glad someone else, except herself had tried to converse with Stefan.

Looking up from his own dinner, Stefan gave Dawn a faint smile. "Well, he let me on the team, so I must have done something right." Stefan admitted as Dawn's big hazel eyes lit up.

"Y-You got on the team?!" Dawn exclaimed, her voice loud and high pitch. Dawn blushed when she realized how rude she sounded. "S-Sorry." Dawn apologized shyly as Stefan chuckled.

"It's fine." Stefan reassured.

Smiling, Elena turned to Bonnie. "Bonnie, you should have seen Stefan today. Tyler threw a ball right at him, and..." The doppelgänger trailed off, however, Elena was soon cut off by Bonnie's blunt reply.

"Yeah, I heard."

Grimacing, Elena tried to smile at Bonnie. "Why don't you tell Stefan about your family?"

Bonnie's reply was once again blunt. "Um, divorced. No mom. Live with my dad."

Seeing Elena's annoyance, Dawn tried to help Elena out. "I, uh, think she means the, uh, witches." Dawn mumbled to Bonnie, giving the three a soft smile.

Elena's eyes lit up as she nodded and turned to Stefan. Elena was glad that at least Dawn was trying. "Bonnie's family has a lineage of witches. It's really cool." Elena informed Stefan, who raised a brow.

Snorting, the witch shook her head. "Cool isn't the word I'd use."

The way Bonnie talked about it was almost as if she didn't believe it. Stefan assumed the girl hadn't discovered her powers. But if Bonnie was anything like Emily Bennett, she'd be very powerful.

"Well, it's certainly interesting. I'm not too versed, but I do know that there's a history of Celtic Druids that migrated here in the 1800s." Stefan smiled as Bonnie's eyes stayed trained on the vampire.

Leaning forward, Bonnie faintly smiled. "My family came by way of Salem."

"Really? Salem witches?

"Yeah."

"I would say that's pretty cool."

"Really? Why?"

"Salem witches are heroic examples of individualism and nonconformity."

"Yeah, they are."

Exchanging knowing glances, Dawn nervously smiled at Elena. Stefan had officially won over Bonnie Bennett. As Dawn was about to speak, the sound of Elena's doorbell cut Dawn off. Elena's brows furrowed in confusion.

"I wonder who that could be." Elena murmured in confusion.

Giving Elena a smile, Dawn got up. "I'll get it." Dawn smiled politely. Elena had slaved away cooking, cleaning, doing Dawn's hair and makeup, so Dawn wanted Elena to enjoy the evening with no worries.

Elena stood up, "You don't have to." Elena replied as Dawn shrugged.

"It's fine."

 **…**

Opening the door, Dawn was fairly surprised to find Caroline and Damon stood before her. Dawn tried not to wince at the sight of Damon. Giving Caroline a smile, Dawn's eyes landed on the desert in her arms.

"Dawnie!" Caroline exclaimed, a smile on her lips as she held up the desert. "We brought cake!" Caroline chimed happily.

With a smirk on his lips, Damon's eyes slid over Dawn's pretty little body. "Dawnie." Damon smirked as Caroline narrowed her eyes at the affectionate nickname. Of course she was allowed to call Dawn 'Dawnie', but no one else was.

Blushing, Dawn looked down and played with the ends of her cardigan. "Uh, E-Elena." Dawn called out, not knowing what to do. Dawn didn't want to just invite them in without Elena's permission, but then again, Dawn didn't want to seem rude.

"Is everything okay?" Elena asked as she walked through the halls with Stefan and Bonnie on her heels.

Elena's brows furrowed in confusion at the sight of Caroline and Damon. Glancing at Dawn, Elena really didn't want to invite Damon in, but like Dawn, Elena didn't want to seem rude.

"Surprise! Bonnie said you were doing dinner, so we brought dessert." Caroline grinned, wiggling the foiled desert.

Glancing at Dawn, who was still staring at the floor blushing, Elena let her lips form into an 'O' shape. "Oh." Elena murmured as Damon gave Elena a charming smile. However, Elena didn't let the smile faze her. Instead, the doppelgänger glanced at Dawn.

"Hope you don't mind." Damon chimed as Dawn gave Elena a discreet nod, informing the doppelgänger that it was okay to invite Caroline and Damon in. Elena was still reluctant.

"What are you doing here?" Stefan demanded as Caroline continued to hold the cake in her arms.

As Caroline took a step inside, Damon stood outside. "Waiting for Elena to invite me in." Damon smirked at his brother as Elena furrowed her brows. Why didn't he just walk in? Frowning, Stefan glanced at Elena.

"Oh, yeah, you can..." Elena trailed off hesitantly, but was cut off by Stefan's voice.

"No, no, no. He can't, uh...he can't stay. Can you, Damon?" Dawn jumped at Stefan's frantic words. What was wrong with him?

Rolling her eyes impatiently, Caroline stood beside Dawn. "Get in here."

Before Damon could reply, Stefan cut in. "We're just...finishing up." The younger brother claimed.

Glancing at Dawn, who seemed equally as confused as herself, Elena unenthusiastically invited Damon inside. "It's fine. Just come on in."

 **…**

Gripping onto the mug that contained the heavenly substance known as tea, Dawn pouted as steam continuously flowed from the mug, preventing her from drinking. Although Dawn had never actually burnt her tongue on a drink, Dawn didn't want to start burning her tongue. Caroline had a habit of not waiting for her drinks to cool down and burning the tip of her tongue. Then the blonde would complain about it for an entire week nonstop.

As Dawn's lips parted and began to breath on the hot drink in a failed attempt to cool the boiled liquid down, Damon watched in amusement. Currently, Damon was tuning out Caroline's tasteless, dull chatter, and focusing on Dawnie. The cheerleader beside him was chatting about her new bag, something like that.

Presently, the six were lounging around in the Gilbert living room. This included Emily Bennetts great-great-great-great granddaughter, Stefan, Damon, Elena, Caroline and little Dawnie. While Caroline and Damon occupied the loveseat, Elena and Stefan were inhabiting the sofa opposite, Bonnie was currently sitting on the lounge chair while Dawn was perched on the arm.

Deeming her tea cool enough, despite the steam rising from it, Dawn tipped the cup back and took a sip. Placing the cup back in her palm, Dawn smiled when she realized she hadn't burned herself.

Nudging Bonnie gently, Dawn timidly smiled. "Could you…" Dawn motioned towards the chest besides Bonnie.

Understand what Dawn meant, Bonnie took the mug of tea and placed it on the chest in a rough motion. Due to the force of Bonnie putting the mug down, a small amount spilled on Bonnie's skin.

"Ow!"

Bonnie's cry of distress caused Caroline's pointless blabber to come to an end. Damon practically sighed in relief, although Damon was using the blonde cheerleader to get to Stefan, Damon was seriously losing his patience with her. All the blonde did was talk, whine and cry. It was an endless cycle of frustration.

 _"Are you gonna' hurt me?"_

 _"What do you want with me?"_

 _"Why do you bite me?"_

 _"Please don't kill me…"_

Ugh, what a wimp. To say Damon wasn't the slightest bit tempted to snap the cheerleaders scrawny, fragile neck would have been a complete understatement.

But then again, Caroline was the daughter of the town's sheriff, Liz Forbes. It may have been a little too suspicious if the council found a founding family member drained of blood with a broken neck. For all Damon knew, the council were still anti-vampire.

Nevertheless, Damon was more than temped. Although part of him, which he would not admit, didn't want to kill the pretty blonde cheerleader. It seemed that Dawnie depended on Caroline more than a normal 'BFF' would.

"Bonnie?" Elena voiced concern as the Bennett decedent clutched the tip of her index finger. Dawn's eyes filled with guilt when she noticed how the tip of Bonnie's finger had turned pink and was beginning to swell, perhaps even blister.

Damon noticed this and furrowed his brows. He'd defiantly have to ask Bree about this, when he next saw the tall, curvaceous witch. Something obviously wasn't normal with the girl. Damon had been watching her for a long time and had noticed all the strange-happenings that were involved in her everyday life. It seemed like Dawn was blind towards the events.

Shaking her head, the brunette continued to clutch her scorched fingertip. "I'm fine, just burnt my finger."

Turning to Dawn, Bonnie's perfectly shaped brows furrowed together. "How did you drink that; I mean, that was boiling." Bonnie exclaimed, her brown orbs wide.

Dawn immediately became flustered, her face red in embarrassment while her hands trembled. Due to the little distance between herself and Dawn, Bonnie perceived the mortified tears develop in Dawn eyes.

"I-I-I-"

Bonnie frowned guiltily. The witch hadn't meant to embarrass or upset Dawn. Perhaps her words had come out crueller than they were supposed to, but Bonnie was only curious.

"I-I'll get a cloth for your finger-"

Before Bonnie could protest, Dawn had rushed into the kitchen. For a pregnant woman, Dawn could move pretty fast. But then again, Dawn wasn't that far along in a sense of nine months.

After opening a range of kitchen draws, Dawn soon found the draw that contained the dishcloths. Briefly running the cloth under the tap, Dawn headed back to the living room.

Pressing the cold dishcloth onto Bonnie's finger, Dawn fidgeted before sitting back on the arm chair.

"I'm so sorry, Bonnie" Dawn apologized, clutching the end of her cardigan as Bonnie shook her head and smiled. "You didn't do anything, Dawn. I spilt the tea, I'm just curious, how did you drink that? I mean it was literally boiling hot?" Bonnie replied, a soft smile on her beautiful features as she brushed down her flowy-cami top.

Dawn shrugged in response. Part of Dawn was questioning the same thing. How come the beverage had burnt Bonnie but yet felt cool enough for Dawn to drink it? Dawn was puzzled.

As an awkward silence treaded throughout the perimeter of the room, while Dawn played with the ends of her dress skirt, Caroline shuffled.

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Elena looked up in concern at Dawn. "You sure you're okay sitting there, Dawn?" Elena asked frowning. Before Dawn could reply, Elena rose to her feet. "You can sit here if its comfier." Elena offered, motioning to the red couch behind her.

Smiling shyly, Dawn shook her head, crossing her legs as she did so. "I'm fine, Elena. Thank you anyways." The blonde replied timidly, flushing in embarrassment as she felt multiple gazes scrape across her.

Clearing her throat, Caroline flicked her smooth blonde hair behind her head as Dawn turned to her. Dawn's fair brows furrowed in confusion when she noticed the scarf that was wrapped tightly around Caroline's throat.

Although Dawn would have usually questioned Caroline about wearing a scarf inside, Dawn decided not to, due to the audience.

"I cannot believe that Mr. Tanner let you on the team. Tyler must be seething. But good for you. Go for it." Caroline babbled, turning to face Stefan as she wrapped a long, burnished tressel around her ring finger.

Elena smiled slightly, however the smile was soon wiped off as Damon leaned forward and spoke up. "That's what I always tell him. You have to engage. You can't just sit there and wait for life to come to you. You have to go get it.".

Damon's words and tone was mocking as his cerulean orbs glowered into his baby brothers jade eyes. As Stefan was about to reply, Caroline cut in.

"Yeah, Elena wasn't so lucky today. It's only because you missed summer camp. God, I don't know how you're ever going to learn the routines." Caroline replied, frowning as she shook her head.

The doppelgänger looked irritated and embarrassed.

Dawn could sympathize, but Caroline didn't mean any harm. The cheerleader simply didn't have a very good filter. Caroline Forbes was the type of girl to say what they were thinking, before actually realizing what she had even said. Everyone in Mystic High knew Caroline had verbal diarrhea.

"I-I'm sure she'll catch up, Care." Dawn piped up timidly, tucking a curled piece of hair behind her ear.

Bonnie nodded in agreement. "I'll work with her. She'll get it." Bonnie added as Elena sent the two girls smiles.

Without replying, concentration was evident on Caroline's petite features as her caramel, thin brows furrowed together. Apparently the girl was thinking very hard.

"I guess we can put her in the back." Caroline murmured, seemingly talking to herself more than the group as Elena frowned, offended by Caroline's comments. She wasn't that bad was she? Who cared, she wanted to quit anyways.

Moving her concentrated gaze from Elena to Dawn, Caroline gave the girl a toothy smile as Damon also turned his gaze back to the pregnant blonde who seemed to be in a daydream.

"Do you cheerlead, Dawnie?"

Dawn's gaze snapped up, her eyes wide like a rabbit in the headlights as she blushed. Before Dawn could sheepishly answer, Caroline cut in.

"Ha! Dawnie cheerlead! You've got to be joking. Dawn has the clumsiness of Bambi. She's the equivalent to a baby giraffe trying to walk and stand for the first time."

Dawn couldn't help but frown, although Dawn knew Caroline's words were true. There was no need for Caroline to embarrass Dawn in front of her new friends and Damon. Damon's eyes stayed on the blonde as he read her physical behavior. Dawn was obviously upset, a frown was upon her pretty lips, her eyes were wide and slightly glazed over while she consciously played the hem of her dress.

"I think you'd look pretty in a cheerleading costume." Damon piped up as Caroline narrowed her eyes.

Although Dawn was too innocent to see Damon's incessant flirting, Caroline wasn't. Caroline loved her best friend, but Caroline couldn't help but let the green monster known as jealousy, show his ugly head.

"Dawn wouldn't fit in any of them anyways. The biggest size the school caters up to is like a 10, and when Dawn's full-term… Let's say baby Ellis won't appreciate being squeezed into a skin tight dress. Anyways, it's not like Dawn could join the squad. I mean, I'm captain, but my mom would literally kill me. You see Dawn lives with me cus' her family kicked her out." Caroline babbled, turning to Damon as her blue-green eyes gazed into his intense blue orbs.

Damon was now beyond tempted to snap Caroline's scrawny, soft neck. Dawn's eyes watered as Bonnie placed a hand on Dawn's arm. Clearly Dawn was upset by Caroline's words. Bonnie assumed that Dawn's parents and her pregnancy, was a sore subject for Dawn. But Elena also knew that Dawn didn't want Damon to know about her pregnancy, not yet anyway.

"Caroline!" Elena exclaimed, sending a sympathetic glance towards Dawn.

No one could fully see Dawn's reaction now, due to the blonde's head being tilted down. Curtains of hair covered Dawn's face as the blonde held back her tears.

"Dawnie isn't the only one to have the whole family-issues thing. Elena used to love her cheerleading but since her parents died she hates it. Yeah, I mean, she's just totally going through a blah phase. She used to be way more fun. And I say that with complete sensitivity." Caroline added.

Clearing her throat, Dawn brushed the hair out her face and stood. "Excuse me. I-I'll do the d-dishes."

 **…**

As Dawn opened the dishwasher, the blonde wiped her eyes with the tips of her fingers. Dawn knew Damon would eventually find out about her pregnancy, but Dawn didn't want Damon to know yet, as stupid as that sounded.

Loading the dishwasher up, Dawn frowned. To say Dawn was embarrassed would have been an understatement. Although Dawn wouldn't admit it, Dawn was a little worried that she may have had a minor crush on Damon. The thought of being with someone frightened Dawn to the core.

Well, Dawn thought she had a crush on Damon, she wasn't entirely sure. Dawn had never really had a crush on anyone. All Dawn knew was that her stomach did summersaults around Damon. But then again, perhaps Dawn was overreaching, she had only known Damon for a week or so.

Part of Dawn also felt guilty. Dawn assumed that Damon and Caroline were in a relationship. But then again, it wasn't like Dawn would act on her stupid feelings.

And anyways, why would Damon want her when he could have Caroline? Caroline was beautiful, athletic and funny.

"One more."

Dawn jumped at the sound of Damon's voice. Flushing, Dawn turned to grab the glass. "O-Oh, thank you."

As Dawn grabbed the glass, Dawn squealed as she missed, causing the glass to fall. Closing her eyes, wincing while waiting for the impact, Dawn found the sound never came.

Opening one eye, Dawn found Damon holding the glass with a smirk on his face. Clearly he had caught the glass.

Blushing, Dawn nervously grabbed the glass. "I-I-It seems that Stefan has competition with his reflexes." Dawn stammered, feeling the awkwardness around them.

Dawn's soft, cherry lips parted as Damon watched the Lolita blonde in amusement. Although Dawn wasn't aware of it, Dawn was indeed a sweet Lolita. A Lolita is a young girl who has a very sexual appearance and was characterized by light-colored, modest, cute-appearing dresses with lots of lace and frills. A true Lolita tended to favor white or pink based colors with floral embroidery, and concentrated on looking as sweet and cute as possible. Dawn was the picture of a true sweet Lolita.

Unbeknownst to Dawn, with a little confidence, Dawn could bring men to their knees with a single smile. Damon noted how the girl was completely oblivious to how beautiful she was.

Just by glancing at the girl, Damon's mouth dried up. Although Katherine had been beautiful, Damon knew that Dawn had something Katherine didn't: sweet innocence. The twinkle of naivety in Dawn's eyes made her beautiful appearance ever so sweeter.

Currently, the blonde looked able to stop traffic with the clothing she was wearing. Dawn looked adorable… Dear god… Did Damon Salvatore really just use the word adorable? Whatever, Dawn looked cute.

Wearing a pastel, cotton-candy, floral dress that hugged her shapely hourglass figure, Dawn looked gorgeous. The blonde was wearing an elbow length white, button-up cardigan along with a pair of flat, white pumps. A matching pink ribbon was in Dawn's hair, mixed in with her big blonde curls.

The dress showed of Dawn's greatest assets which included her tiny little waist and Damon's favorite, Dawn's shapely long legs. Dawn had surprisingly long legs for such little height.

"You know you don't have to be ashamed."

Dawn's head snapped up in alarm, her eyes wide as her mouth opened before closing. "E-Excuse me?"

"Of being pregnant."

A small smile curved on Dawn's lips as she practically swooned. "T-Thank you, but believe me I do…" Dawn murmured, shaking her head.

Damon frowned. "Why?"

Shrugging, Dawn nervously closed the now-full dishwasher. "It's, uh, complicated… I'd rather not talk about it." Dawn murmured as Damon nodded understandingly. The blonde hadn't been aware that Damon knew she was pregnant.

"Well, if you want to talk, I'm here." Damon replied as Dawn smiled.

Thinking back to when Damon brought up Katherine, Dawn nervously turned around. "So, uh, earlier, did you mean...Katherine?" Dawn asked nervously. Damon nodded.

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened to her?" Dawn asked nervously. "You don't have to talk about if you want." Dawn added. Dawn didn't want to push Damon into talking about things he didn't want to.

After all, Damon didn't push Dawn into talking about tense subjects, so who was she to push him?

"It's fine. Katherine died in a fire." Damon said.

As a gasp left her lips, Dawn couldn't restrain herself. Leaping forward, Dawn wrapped her arms around Damon and leaned against his chest. Although Dawn didn't enjoy too much direct contact, Dawn couldn't help but feel for Damon.

Dawn felt for the unfortunate man and of course, poor Katherine: who had been deprived of life. Dawn couldn't imagine having her life taken away by amber flames whose only goals were to swallow you whole. Dawn shivered at the thought.

Pressing her head against Damon's leather clad chest, Dawn frowned. "I'm so sorry, Damon." Dawn whispered as Damon's arms wove around her. "Did it, uh, happen recently?".

"We don't have to talk about it." Dawn added quickly.

Shaking his head, Damon breathed Dawn's intoxicating scent in. "It's fine. It seems like yesterday…"

Dawn frowned and hugged Damon tighter. "What was she like?" Dawn's voice sounded like a soft whisper.

"She was beautiful. A lot like you in that department. She was also very complicated and selfish and at times not very kind, but very sexy and seductive." Dawn blushed but frowned.

Looking up into Damon's eyes, Dawn frowned. "Selfish?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Oh."

Damon couldn't deny the fact he enjoyed the feeling of Dawn's warm body pressed against his, the way her curves practically called to be groped, the way her ample breasts pressed against his chest… Dawn really didn't realize how alluring she was. Damon also noticed the way her body seemed to perfectly fit against his.

Inwardly scolding himself, Damon shook his head. He was in Mystic Falls to free Katherine from the tomb, not fall for the resident teenage pregnancy! Damon immediately objected to the thoughts, he wasn't falling for Dawn. Christ, Damon had only known Dawn for a week or so… But Damon couldn't deny that he liked the blonde. She was appealing physically yet her personality was sweet.

Dawn leaned her head back against Damon's muscular chest. "Did you both date her?"

Looking down, Damon could only currently see Dawn's curly blonde locks, due to her smothering her face with his own chest. The blonde tresses hung on her shoulders in soft, glossy ringlets. Damon had to resist from threading his fingers through the feathery tendrils.

Shrugging, Damon tightened his arms around Dawn. "Ask Stefan. I'm sure his answer differs from mine."

Dawn shook her head and continued to tightly hug Damon. "Either way, you lost her too."

The sound of someone clearing their throat caused Dawn to abruptly pull away from Damon. Looking up, Dawn's eyes widened as she flushed, seeing Elena and Bonnie stood at the door.

Bonnie looked taken back while Elena looked simply confused.

 **…**

Playing with the ends of her new baby blue scarf, Caroline flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder as her blue-green eyes stared into Stefan's. Currently, Damon's brother was sitting opposite Caroline while Bonnie, Elena, Dawn and Damon were in the kitchen.

"Matt tries, but he's just having a really hard time. You have to understand that they were each other's first. You know, like, from the sandbox." Caroline babbled, flailing her arms as she rolled her eyes dramatically.

Despite Caroline's constant chatter, Stefan was only focused on one thing: Caroline's scarf.

Nodding, Stefan's eyes were still trained on the pastel, designer scarf that was rather tightly wrapped around the blonde's slender, pale neck.

"That's a really nice scarf."

A beaming, pretty smile rose on Caroline's lips as she glanced down at the scarf. Caroline wasn't entirely sure on why she was wearing it; all Caroline knew was she couldn't take it off… Strange…

"Mm. Thank you, it's new." Caroline replied, arching a suspicious brow at Stefan. Was Stefan… Gay? That would explain why he was able to resist Caroline's charms. But then again, he was with Elena… Whatever, Caroline didn't judge.

Moving forward, Stefan noted her suspicion, but said nothing. "Can I see it? I mean, would you mind taking it off?"

Okay… Maybe Stefan was gay… But still, that wasn't the point. Caroline wasn't able to take her scarf off to show Stefan anyways, but Caroline still didn't understand why.

"Oh, I can't." Caroline responded simply.

Stefan's rather brooding eyebrows furrowed together as his beautiful green eyes narrowed in concern. "Why not? You ok?"

Her own brows furrowed together as she glanced down at the scarf in confusion. Why couldn't she take it off? Playing with the ends of the scarf, Caroline looked up in confusion.

"Um...All I know is that I can't take it off."

Before Stefan could respond, Damon strolled in, the usual smug grin on his plush lips as he sat beside Caroline. Throwing his arm along the back of the couch, Damon smirked.

"What are you two kids talking about?"

 **…**

Dawn couldn't breathe. She couldn't speak. She couldn't talk. The only thing Dawn could do was tremble, and hyperventilate. As guilt continuously pounded through every inch of her currently rounded body, Dawn couldn't think straight. All Dawn could think about was poor Caroline. Dawn was an awful friend…

Poor Caroline was dating Damon and Dawn had been an unfaithful friend. Dawn had hugged Damon despite the fact she had a tiny crush on Damon. Well, Dawn assumed the feeling in her stomach was a crush.

But anyways, part of Dawn protested that she had only been comforting Damon. She had been consoling him on the death of Katherine, his previous flame.

Dawn's conscious was officially having a war. One side of Dawn felt bad for comforting Damon like she did, especially while considering her miniscule crush on him, but then another side of Dawn knew that comforting Damon was natural.

Exchanging worried glances, Bonnie and Elena frowned. The pregnant blonde was pale and trembling.

The pregnant blonde had completely forgotten that the two were beside her.

"Dawn… Are you okay?" Elena asked worriedly, her doe orbs softening at the blonde.

The blonde's mouth opened before closing. Her eyes began to water as Bonnie quickly closed the kitchen door, making sure the three had some privacy.

Taking a hesitant step forward, Elena slowly wound her arms around the pregnant blonde and encouraged her into an embrace. Elena leaned her head on Dawn's shoulder as the blonde visibly and physically tensed.

After a few moments, Dawn closed her eyes. As Bonnie headed back over to the two embracing girls, both herself and Elena was surprised when Dawn erupted into loud, choked sobs.

Bonnie rushed over and rubbed Dawn's back.

"Let it all out, Dawn." Elena whispered.

And that was what Dawn did. Dawn hadn't broken down since when she found out she was pregnant.

 **…**

 **XXXXXXXX**

12 weeks before

She was pregnant. Covering her face with her hands, Dawn couldn't stop her ugly, pathetic sobs. Throwing the positive pregnancy test against the bathroom wall, Dawn let out a desperate wail as she attempted to smother her sobs against her knees.

It was okay to be loud as Dawn wasn't at home. She had stayed the night at Caroline's and was currently alone in the Forbes' residence. Liz was at work while Caroline was at the grill, on some date with one of the football players. Shaking her head, Dawn continued to sob.

This couldn't be happening… One time… She had sex once and now…

Dawn couldn't do this. Her father would be outraged while Shelia had always wanted an excuse to kick Dawn out. She'd be homeless… Her future dreams of being a doctor was flushed down the drains…

Looking around the bathroom, Dawn's eyes landed on one of the shaving razors. Crawling over to the razor, Dawn pried the blade from its sheath and turned to the bath. Still crying, Dawn put the plug in the bathtub and began running some hot water.

This was the only way out. Her baby wouldn't feel a thing, it was barely formed, it wouldn't get hurt. It wouldn't feel pain. Only she'd feel pain and then it would be all over.

 **XXXXXXXX**

 **…**

Still consoling Dawn, Elena and Bonnie shared an exchange of apprehensive glances. Grabbing a tissue from the packet of tissues that was conveniently placed on the kitchen side, Bonnie watched as Dawn pulled away from Elena. The blonde tried to carefully wipe her eyes which resulted in her mascara sliding down her cheeks.

Placing a hand on Dawn's arm, Bonnie smiled. "Here."

Timidly, Dawn accepted the tissue and wiped her face. Dawn honestly didn't want to think about how bad she currently looked. Dawn was pretty sure that her face of striking makeup had smudged, she probably looked as if a toddler had dragged a felt-tip pen across her face.

"Dawn. You can tell us what's wrong. You don't have to, but something must off really upset you to break down like this." Elena cooed, her voice deep and relaxing as she unknowingly soothed Dawn.

Dawn's initial reaction would have been to make up an excuse. But something in Dawn told her she could trust both Bonnie and Elena. But then again, Dawn didn't want to burden the girls with her stupid problems.

Both Elena and Bonnie had enough misfortune in their life, the two didn't need Dawn's problems adding to their own. And anyways, it was a stupid reason to get upset. Dawn had only been comforting and consoling Damon and yet she was acting as if the two had an affair.

"I-It's stupid…" Dawn stammered, shaking her head as she placed the mascara clotted tissue on the table. Bonnie reached forward and picked the tissue up before placing it in the bin that was currently besides her. As Bonnie did this, Elena grabbed another tissue and handed it Dawn.

Shaking her head, Elena frowned. "If it upsets you then it's not stupid. What's stupid is you trying to carry everything on your shoulders." Elena responded.

Bonnie nodded in agreement. "Yeah, what's stupid is when my grams calls' me at 3:00 AM, crying because she has no wine left." Bonnie exclaimed.

Silence travelled between the three before the trio erupted into a fit of giggles.

Once again, Dawn accepted another tissue and wiped her face, hoping and failing to rid of any of the spare, left over makeup. While Bonnie stood beside Dawn, Elena made her way towards the tap and pulled a clean glass of the drying rack.

"Here." Elena filled the glass with tap water and kindly handed it to Dawn. "T-Thanks." Dawn murmured.

"Now, what's up?"

Dawn shook her head, her gaze on the floor as she played with the sleeves of her cardigan. "I don't want to burden you guys…" Dawn murmured.

The doppelgänger shook her head and smiled. "You're not burdening us, Dawn."

Elena let out a sigh. "Look, I know we've only just became friends and we aren't suddenly 'BFFs' but you're a really sweet person and we've come to care about you." Elena spoke, a hand on Dawn's shoulder as the blonde smiled.

Bonnie nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Elena's right. And hopefully, we'll all be best friends one day and look back at this moment and laugh." Bonnie piped up.

A small smile found its way onto Dawn's features. "Me too." Dawn agreed. Sighing, Dawn ran a hand through her tangled blonde curls.

"I-It's Damon." Dawn finally admitted.

Bonnie's brows furrowed together as Elena frowned. Ever since Dawn revelled her crush on Damon, Elena had been worrying. Although Stefan seemed to exaggerate about his troubled older brother, Elena knew straight off the bat that Damon was no good for Dawn. Damon seemed to scream out 'DANGER'.

"What did he do?" Elena's brows arched threateningly. Bonnie also seemed worried.

Shaking her head, Dawn's eyes fogged up with tears. "N-Nothing."

Bonnie's brows creased. "Then why are you upset?"

Dawn hesitated before explaining to the girls.

 **…**

 **XXXXXXXX**

12 weeks before

Caroline Forbes sauntered into her house, not bothering to lock the front door as she made her way towards her bedroom. Dawn was assumingly still at Caroline's and the blonde needed to talk about her date to Dawn.

The blonde cheerleaders date hadn't gone as well as Caroline had hoped. The football player who Tyler Lockwood had set her up with was way to handsy' for Caroline's liking. That was the last time Caroline trusted Tyler to set her up on a blind date. While Tyler had set Caroline up with a horny-football player, Caroline had set Tyler with Amber from the cheer squad. The blonde girl was pretty, sweet and most of all, easy. But that was what Tyler had asked for, someone who would get him laid.

And although Luke, her date, had been good looking. Caroline knew his disgusting personality diminished his average looking face. Okay, maybe Caroline was kidding herself, Luke had been gorgeous! Luke had a Channing Tatum's jaw, Zac Efron's eyes and Leonardo DiCaprio's dreamy blonde locks!

But still, way to handsy' for Caroline's standards.

The pervert had been trying to grope her butt and thighs throughout the entire date. Caroline had been tempted to dump her glass of very strong alcohol over his head. Usually, Caroline wasn't a day drinker, but it seemed that drinking a strong alcoholic drink had been the only thing that would have got Caroline through the awful date!

Shimmying her jacket off, Caroline threw the jacket on her bed and looked around in confusion. "Dawnie?"

No reply. Glancing at the bathroom, Caroline noticed the light was on and the door slightly open. Due to the amount of times Caroline had slammed her bedroom and bathroom door in her mother-vs-daughter tantrums, Caroline's door locks were broken.

Raising a brow, Caroline kicked her shoes off and slowly walked to the bathroom door.

Caroline couldn't deny the bad feeling in her stomach. Something was wrong. Worriedly, Caroline slowly opened the door.

"Dawnie?"

Instead of the sight of a smiling Dawn, Caroline was greeted by Dawn's pale fully-clothed body, lying in a bath of blood.

 **XXXXXXXX**

 **…**

"Really Dawn?" Bonnie's voice was amused as Elena smiled.

Both Bonnie and Elena had expected Dawn to be upset over something serious, however the two were surprised to find Dawn was upset over herself hugging Damon. But Bonnie knew it was secretly more than that. Although only Elena knew about Dawn's minor crush on Damon, Bonnie suspected Dawn liked Damon and felt a great deal of guilt for it.

Sheepish and confused, Dawn wiped her eyes. "Yes."

Bonnie and Elena shared glances before hugging one of Dawn's sides each. "Dawn!" Elena groaned as Dawn frowned, still confused as she allowed her two friends to sandwich her.

"Although Caroline may get jealous sometimes, Caroline loves you and could never be mad at you." Elena reassured as Bonnie nodded in agreement.

The blonde flushed in embarrassment as she hesitated. "B-But-"

Bonnie softly gripped Dawn's shoulders, "It's fine, Dawn. If you want, we don't have to tell Care." The brunette suggested softly.

Nodding in agreement, Elena stepped forward and smiled reassuringly. "Bonnie's right, you didn't do anything wrong, so what's there to explain." Elena stated.

Although unsure, Dawn nervously bit her lower lip. "I-I don't know…" Dawn trailed off.

Was it right to hide such information from Caroline? But it wasn't like Dawn did anything wrong, did she? Dawn frowned, she hadn't done anything wrong, she had only comforted Damon over the loss of his previous girlfriend. But then again, Dawn had hugged him. And apart from her family, Damon and _him_ , Dawn hadn't been a physical person with the opposite gender.

But then again, Dawn only hugged Caroline before, but now Dawn hugged with Elena and Bonnie.

"Dawn. You haven't done anything wrong" Elena reassured once again, noticing the distant and unsure look on Dawn's pretty features.

"Okay…" Dawn trailed off reluctantly as the three embraced.

The trio of hugging girls were interrupted by an energetic blonde. "Any room for one more?" Caroline asked. The three smiled and nodded as Caroline flounced over and joined the group hug.

"I don't even know what we're hugging about, but I love it!" Caroline exclaimed cheerily.

 **…**

Furrowing his dark, thick brows together, Stefan's green eyes were narrowed at his older, more immature brother. For a man who was over one hundred years old, Damon was still the juvenile, mischievous man who his father disliked. Although Damon claimed to have his "switch flipped", Stefan didn't believe it.

To Damon's distaste, Stefan knew his older brother. And although people changed, at the end of the day, Damon was still his brother.

Even as a human, Damon had a habit of hiding his emotions. Stefan mentally recalled Damon missing their mother's funeral. Wincing at the memory, Stefan couldn't deny the worry brewing in his gut about Damon being in mystic falls.

Damon's words echoed throughout Stefan's worried mind.

 _"I will make it an eternity of misery for you."_

The hurtful words still made a shiver down Stefan's spine. Despite what happened with Katherine, Stefan would always love his big brother, always. No matter what Damon did, Stefan would never be able to truly hate Damon.

Watching as Caroline unwillingly flounced into the kitchen, Stefan frowned. "They are people, Damon. She's not a puppet. She doesn't exist for your amusement, for you to feed on whenever you want to." Stefan snapped.

Currently, Damon had compelled Caroline into doing the dishes, giving the two some privacy.

An arrogant smirk spread across Damon's features as he leaned forward. "Sure she does. They all do. They're whatever I want them to be. They're mine for the taking. Y'know, maybe I'll go and do what I want with Dawnie right now. How'd you like that, Stef?"

Stefan scowled, leaning forward as his jade orbs lit up in antagonism. Damon watched in amusement as Stefan's posture tensed. Not only was Stefan worried about Caroline and Elena, Stefan was also worried about Dawn.

All three girls were innocent in the situation, and the last thing any of them needed was Damon in their lives. Not only were the three innocent, Mystic Falls was innocent. The current residents of Mystic Falls had nothing to do with the death of Katherine.

"All right, you've had your fun. You used Caroline, you got to meet Elena, good for you. Now it's time for you to go." Stefan spat, his brows furrowed.

Damon was surprised at his brother's reaction. Usually, Stefan was a cool-headed man, but it seemed that his baby brother was pissed. Perfect.

Without battering an eyelash of surprise, Damon continued to give Stefan his conceited sneer. "That's not a problem. Because...I've been invited in Caroline's, and I'll come back tomorrow night and the following night and I'll do with Dawnie whatever I want to do. Because that is what is normal to me."

 **…**

Although Dawn had never been the type to relish in social events, Dawn always made the effort to go to Mystic High's football games. This wasn't because Dawn was a huge fan of football, to be frank, Dawn was the complete opposite, she didn't even get the game, the only reason Dawn went was because of Caroline.

Caroline worked hard on her cheer routines, despite what people may have thought. So Dawn did all she could and always went to support her blonde best friend.

Despite her mother's pleads, Caroline would never understand why Liz wasn't able to be there for her daughter's events. Everyone knew that being Sheriff wasn't an easy job, despite the fact Mystic Falls was a small town.

But still, Dawn knew Caroline's relationship with Liz was indeed strained. Even when she was a child, Caroline had always had a large resentment for Liz's workaholic schedule. As a young child, Caroline had been involved in dance residuals, choir concerts, plays, stupid musicals and cheerleading events, and Liz hadn't been able to attend a single one. Of course Bill, Caroline's gay father, attended the events, but it wasn't the same. So due to Liz failing to attend events that meant a lot to Caroline, Dawn always made sure to attend them.

However, Dawn understood why Liz was unable to attend these precious events. Even when she was with Bill, Liz's income was much greater than Bill's poor income, meaning Liz was forced to work longer than a mother was.

And ever since Bill left, Liz was forced to pick up longer hours, which only drifted her and Caroline apart. But in Liz's eyes, Caroline already disliked Liz enough due to Bill leaving, so how much worse could it get? Although Liz got minimum child support from Bill, it wasn't enough to live on.

Liz wasn't perfect, but Caroline shouldn't have expected her to be. At the end of the day, Liz loved Caroline more than anything in the world and worked so hard to be able to supply Caroline with the basic needs and luxurious a human needed.

Currently, Dawn was heading towards Caroline's car, rubbing her arms consciously in a failed attempt to warm herself up.

Dawn honestly had no idea how Caroline was able to flounce around in her short cheer skirt with her arms out, especially when comparing the little clothing to the cool breeze. Dawn shivered at the thought of the uniform, the mere thought made her feel cold.

Looking down at her newly stained shoes, Dawn scowled. The blonde was currently regretting wearing a plain yellow sundress with a white cardigan along with the pumps that had been previously white. The wet grass had imprinted lime, indestructible stains onto Dawn's new shoes.

Along with the dress, Dawn had a white ribbon in her hair, which matched her cardigan and gave her an innocent look.

Sighing, Dawn opened Caroline's trunk. The small space was cluttered with many items, most of which that Caroline had forgotten were in the trunk. Lipsticks, perfumes, fashion magazines and random particles of clothing were all piled up in the boot.

Dawn was practically praying she had remembered to put any of her coats in the jam-packed trunk.

As Dawn searched through the contents of Caroline's trunk, Dawn continuously raised her brow as she pulled out rather… Strange, objects. A bikini thong, multiple Vogue magazines, a pipe cleaner flower (which Dawn had made her in first grade), a roll of cello tape, a way overdue history report along with a pack of birthday candles…. Wow, Dawn had never realized how much a hoarder Caroline was.

Shaking her head, Dawn sighed in frustration when she realized her coat wasn't in the boot. Dawn cursed her past self. Why did she have to forget so easily? Dawn would never understand how she was able to memorize a ten-page report on the solar system spectrum, but yet was unable to remember to put her coat in her trunk.

Dawn probably had gone to grab her coat from Caroline's room before forgetting what she had even gone in Caroline's room for.

Closing the boot, Dawn absent-mindedly turned around, only to let out a surprised squeak. Damon was behind her, his nose touching hers as Dawn held a hand over her heart.

Not only was the distant making Dawn nervous, but Damon had literally scared the life out of Dawn. Flushing crimson, Dawn took a step back so she was pressed against the car's end.

"Y-You frightened me." Dawn mumbled, pushing a strand of blonde behind her ear as a wide smirk spread across Damon's lips.

Chuckling, Damon's eyes scanned Dawn's physique. The lemon yellow dress perfectly hugged Dawn's wide hips while cupping her waist and pushing her budding breasts up. Dawn's baby bump was barely noticeable in the pretty summer dress.

Damon also noted Dawn was wearing her cute little Christian cross around her neck, Damon briefly wondered if Dawn was actually Christian. Some people wore it simply as a dumb fashion statement. Also, Damon noticed the chaste white ribbon in Dawn's curly blonde locks. Wasn't Dawn just the perfect, pretty little peach.

"Sorry." Damon apologized, the arrogant sneer still on his lips as Dawn's face refused to pale. Instead, Dawn's immaculate features remained the bright pink shade.

Nodding, Dawn rubbed her arms as the cold breeze ran over her bare flesh. Noticing the circular Goosebumps that marred Dawn's pale flesh, Damon frowned.

"You're cold." Damon stated blankly.

Sheepishly shaking her head, Dawn tried not to make a fuss. The last thing Dawn wanted to do was make a scene just because she was cold…

"I-I'm fine." Dawn murmured, giving Damon an unconvincing faint smile.

Without another word, Damon slowly removed his leather jacket. Before Dawn could assume anything, Damon draped his jacket over Dawn's petite shoulders. Flushing pink, Dawn embraced the warm leather jacket. Worriedly, Dawn looked up at Damon, her big hazel eyes wide.

"Won't you be cold?"

Dawn's kindness was sweet and sickly

Chuckling, Damon shrugged. Dawn couldn't help but notice how Damon's white t-shirt moulded to Damon's burly torso. As Damon's muscles flexed, Dawn blushed crimson when she realized Damon had noticed her practically ogling him.

Smirking, Damon shook his head. "It's fine."

"Are you sure?"

Once again, Damon chuckled. "I'm fine, Dawnie."

Still unsure, Dawn nervously looked up at Damon. Currently, Damon's 5'9 stature towered over Dawn's small body.

"So, uh, what are you doing here?" Dawn immediately winced at how rude she sounded. "Not that you're not allowed here. I mean, it's a football game… What I meant was- I'll stop." Dawn rambled, blushing as Damon's already arrogant lips curved into a smirk of amusement.

"Well, I'm currently hiding from Caroline." Damon retorted, watching as Dawn pushed a curly strand of blonde behind her ear.

Furrowing her fair yet shapely brows together, Dawn unintentionally played with the sleeves of Damon's expensive leather jacket. Dawn couldn't help but melt into snug, warm jacket. "What do you mean?"

Dawn's voice sounded like a million chaste bells ringing through the breeze as Damon smirked. How cute was little naive Dawnie.

"It doesn't matter." Damon replied. The last thing Damon wanted to do was upset the mysterious blonde.

Clearly the blonde didn't realize how annoying her best friend. Why Dawn was best friends with Caroline was beyond Damon.

"I, uh, should get back to the game, Caroline will be wondering where I am." Dawn murmured, still clenching the rough fabric in her palm.

Glancing at the jacket, Dawn met Damon's sapphire orbs. "Don't you want your jacket back?" Dawn asked, a soft frown on her lips. "I don't want you to get cold." Dawn added nervously.

The corners of Damon's lips twitched, but didn't curve into a smile. "I'll be fine, Dawnie." Damon reassured as Dawn flushed red and nodded.

"O-Okay… I should, uh, go." Dawn mumbled before darting in the opposite direction. As Dawn headed back to the game, the blonde failed to notice Elena heading towards her own car.

 **…**

 **XXXXXXXX**

12 weeks ago.

Rubbing her tears away, Caroline couldn't prevent the tremble in her fingers as she watched the paramedics load Dawn into a flashing ambulance. Multiple dressings were applied to Dawn's wrists an attempt to stop the bleeding. From what Caroline could gather, the paramedics had managed to apply enough pressure to the deep wounds, allowing them to load Dawn onto the stretcher.

Many thoughts ran through Caroline's mind as she watched the ambulance pull away. As much as Caroline wanted to go with Dawn in the ambulance, the paramedics had told Caroline that the best thing Caroline could for Dawn, was to call Liz.

Rushing back inside, Caroline didn't even bother to close the front door as she darted to the bathroom: the place where she had dropped her phone. Wincing, Caroline's breath was caught in her throat as she looked at the bathroom.

Blood stained the white tiles and was treaded into Caroline's bedroom cream carpet. An eerie atmosphere was in the air as the metallic scent of blood stung Caroline's nostrils.

When Caroline had discovered Dawn, Caroline hadn't had any time to look around. Caroline had dropped everything and applied pressure to Dawn's bleeding wrists. Although Caroline was hardly a medical expert, Caroline did watch a lot of TV shows, so Caroline's first initial thought was to apply pressure. As Caroline did this, she scrambled for her phone and called an ambulance.

Caroline couldn't think straight as she stared at the water in the bathtub. The water that had once been clear was a red mass, strong in color and scent.

Why would Dawn try and end her life? Caroline knew suicide was a cry for help, and knowing her best friend, Dawn wouldn't of reacted like this towards a small problem. Just the thought of Dawn upset made Caroline's gut wrench. She should have been there for her best friend. If Caroline had been home, perhaps Dawn wouldn't have tried to end her life.

An overwhelming cloud of guilt hung over Caroline as her bottom lip trembled. She was a bad best friend... A good best would have been there for their friend in need. But not Caroline, no, she was too busy on a date with some thick headed, horny football player…

Shaking her head, Caroline took no notice of how the blood was staining her cute new heels. Caroline's heels were the last thing on her mind. Her best friend was worth more than a million pairs of Christian Louboutin's.

With a slight tremble, Caroline picked her phone up. As Caroline bent over, her brows furrowed when she noticed something behind the toilet seat.

Something in Caroline told her that looking was important. So Caroline followed her gut instinct.

Reaching behind the toilet, Caroline moaned in disgust when her hand broke through a large cobweb. Usually, Caroline would have pulled her hand away and screamed, but Caroline kept searching.

Finally, Caroline found some sort of object. She wasn't sure what it was when she pulled it from behind the toilet seat, but upon seeing the object, Caroline knew.

A pregnancy test…

A positive one…

 **XXXXXXXX**

 **…**

Lurking within the shadows, Damon watched with a smirk on his lips as Stefan made friends with the blond quarterback, who was apparently Elena's ex-boyfriend… Interesting. As the measly human walked away, Damon stepped out the shadows, clapping slowly.

Despite his seemingly calm aura, Damon was beyond pissed. Apparently Katherine's uncanny, human twin was wearing vervain, and Damon was certain who had supplied Elena with the vervain.

"Isn't that nice? Stefan joins a team, makes a friend. It's all so, 'rah, rah, go team, yeah!'." If Damon made Stefan jump, the sandy-blond haired vampire didn't show it.

Turning to face his brother, Stefan scowled. "Not tonight. I'm done with you." Stefan replied as Damon scoffed. Was his brother extra broody tonight?

Taking an intimidating step forward, Damon smirked. "Nice trick with Elena. Let me guess...Vervain in the necklace? I admit, I was a bit surprised. It's been a while since anyone could resist my compulsion. Where'd you get it?" Damon drawled as Stefan took his own step forward.

Eyeing his brother, Stefan couldn't help but notice Damon wasn't wearing his leather jacket. Although Damon hadn't been in Mystic Falls for long, Stefan had observed how Damon seemed to be practically attached to the thick leather jacket.

"Does it matter?"

Damon just wiggled his brows. "Suppose Dawnie has vervain too." Damon added as Stefan frowned. Why was Damon messing with Dawn? She was innocent. Oh yeah, Damon's a monster, that's why. Stefan's deep green orbs beamed into Damon's as Stefan took his own step forward.

On the top of his mind, Stefan made a reminder to ask Zac if he had any vervain stashed up. Stefan knew that if he mentioned pregnant Dawn then Zac would provide vervain immediately, especially since Gail.

When Stefan didn't reply, Damon let a wolfish grin spread across his lips. "Guess I could just seduce her the old-fashioned way. Or I could just...eat her." Damon teased.

Noticing the way Stefan's eyes darkened, Damon knew he had seceded in teasing his brother. "No. You're not gonna hurt her, Damon." Stefan replied confidently.

Cocking his head to the side, Damon's eyes had a sense of mocking within them. "No?"

"Because deep down inside, there is a part of you that feels for her. I was worried that you had no humanity left inside of you, that you may have actually become the monster that you pretend to be."

Although Stefan's words deeply affected Damon, Damon made sure to not let it show. With dark eyes that matched his brother's broody ones, Damon felt his fangs itch. "Who's pretending?"

Stefan sensed his brother's annoyance, but didn't back down. "Then kill me." Stefan challenged. Although Damon pretended to be bad, he wasn't. Damon had plenty of opportunities to kill Stefan, and in 145 years, Damon could have killed him at least 1000 times. And yet here he was, alive, technically dead, 145 years later.

"Well, I'm...I'm tempted." Damon lied. But Stefan saw straight through his older brothers 'no-humanity' act.

Shaking his head, Stefan took a challenging step forward. Only time would tell if he was pushing his brother too hard. "No, you're not. You've had lifetimes to do it, and yet, here I am. I'm still alive. And there you are. You're still haunting me. After 145 years. Katherine is dead. And you hate me because you loved her, and you torture me because you still do. And that, my brother, is your humanity."

Damon's body tensed as he clenched his jaw.

Before Damon could reply, Tanner would round the corner, a whistle round his neck and a clipboard in his hands. The man didn't even bother to look up from the plastic clipboard as he scribbled a note down.

"Salvatore! What the hell? We've got a game to play!"

Smirking, Damon's eyes darkened. "If that's my humanity...then what's this?"

Before Stefan could even move, Damon had vamp-sped over towards the irritated coach and plunged his sharp canines into the soft flesh of Tanner's neck. The coaches' screams didn't put Damon off as he continued to drain the man.

No one could hear the screams due to the rowdy crowd that were waiting for the football game to begin. But in a matter of seconds, Tanner's screams died down and turned into gasps for air.

Dropping Tanner's limp body to the ground, Damon mockingly licked his lips. "Anyone, anytime, anyplace."

 **…**

Playing with the ends of Damon's leather jacket, Dawn couldn't wipe the stupid smile off her face. Dawn had never really been with anyone, not even a crush, so part of her was nervous about Damon. And sex alone, frightened Dawn to the core. She wouldn't. She couldn't. But not only intercourse petrified her, the concept of having a crush on a man did.

Shaking the thoughts out her head, Dawn reminded herself that not all men were bad. And anyways, it was only a small crush and nothing more. But would Caroline see it as a small crush or something more?

The last thing Dawn wanted to do was upset the best friend that had been there for her throughout everything.

Dawn was so caught up in her thoughts, she stumbled slightly over some obstacle. Confused, Dawn looked down to see what she had tripped on. Dear god… An arm… An arm attached to a limp, bloated Tanner.

Screaming, Dawn began to hyperventilate as people began to gather. While the teachers called Liz, Dawn covered her mouth. Although Dawn wasn't Tanner's biggest fan, the man didn't deserve to die.

Before Dawn could comprehend anything, she was pulled into a tight embrace. Immediately, Dawn struggled, freaking out as she kicked, punched and screamed at her captor.

"No! No! No!" Dawn cried, overwhelmed as tears continuously streamed down her cheeks. "Get off me! Don't touch me! Stop! Stop it! Please! P-Please don't do this!"

However, Dawn's desperate pleas came to an end when she heard a soothing, deep voice. "Hey, hey, Dawnie. It's me."

Damon…

Breathing heavily, Dawn tensely allowed Damon to envelop her into a hug. Damon made sure to loosely wrap his arms around Dawn and rub her back, all while whispering soothing comments into her ear. Dawn relaxed slightly, but her posture was still stiff. Damon wouldn't hurt her. Damon wasn't like _him_.

As he did this, Dawn couldn't help but think back to Tanner. His throat was ripped open, almost like an animal had done it. But why would an animal be so close to the town center? Had someone done this to Tanner… Dawn wasn't sure, but the thought scared her to the core.

 **…**

Wiping the remains of her smudged mascara off her cheeks, Dawn tried to steady the tremble that was taking over her fingers. Placing the dirty makeup wipe in the bin, Dawn cupped her face with her fingers as her bottom lip trembled.

The week had been overwhelming at the least. Dawn's sleeping problem had worsened, Caroline practically embarrassed her in front of her crush, and worse of all, Dawn had tripped over a dead body! And not just any dead body, the body of her history teacher…

Dawn honestly couldn't get the image of Tanner's pale, swollen face, staring up at her lifelessly. The thought of Tanner made a shiver run down Dawn's spine.

Although Tanner and herself hadn't gotten along the best, Dawn couldn't help but think of poor Tanner's family… Before Dawn could go into a deeper thought about Tanner, a knock on the bathroom door caught her attention.

Due to Dawn being the one who stumbled across Tanner's body first, Dawn was to be interviewed for a statement at the Sherriff's department. And although usually Dawn would have gone straight into the station for the statement, Liz told Dawn to go home and sleep. The interview could wait. Dawn was glad for Liz's understanding, clearly Liz could see how stressed and exhausted Dawn was.

Rubbing her eyes, Dawn cleared her throat. "Come in."

As soon as the words left Dawn's mouth, the door opened and Caroline popped her head in. Just like Dawn, Caroline was shaken up by the night's events.

"You okay?" Caroline's voice was soft as she sent her blonde best friend a comforting smile.

Dawn ran a hand through her tangled golden locks. "Y-Yeah, just shaken up, y'know." Dawn mumbled, pulling her pyjama top down over her bump as she exited the bathroom.

Nodding understandingly, Caroline made no more efforts to converse as she laid underneath the covers of their shared bed. After putting on another coat of deodorant, Dawn crawled into the bed and turned the bedside lamp off.

As the two girls shifted to get comfy, Caroline spooned Dawn, letting Dawn be the little spoon for a change. A smile graced Dawn's lips as Caroline's arm twisted around Dawn's growing belly. Even without words, Caroline knew how to comfort her best friend. Dawn was grateful for having such an amazing best friend.

"Night, Care."

"Night, Dawnie."

"Love you."

Caroline smiled in the darkness as she closed her eyes. "Love you too, Dawnie."

 **…**

Beams from the crescent moon made lowlights spread across Dawn's face as the curtains continuously blew open. The window opposite the two sleeping girls was wide open, allowing a cooling breeze into the constricted bedroom. Within the room, Damon watched Dawn, all while ignoring a sleeping Caroline.

Rolling over onto her back, Caroline draped an arm over Dawn's figure as she let out a loud snore. Rolling his eyes, Damon eyed the blonde before taking a seat besides Dawn.

As the bed dipped under his weight, neither of the girls showed any signs of waking up. But Damon wasn't focusing on Caroline, who was now slobbering as she snored.

Slowly, Damon raised a hand and ran his fingers over Dawn's smooth flesh. Dawn had smooth, clear skin. Continuing to caress the blonde's face, Damon couldn't help but stare down at her in a concerned manner.

Damon wasn't stupid, something had clearly happened to Dawn in the past. Although Dawn had been obviously overwhelmed by Tanner's body, Dawn's reaction to him wasn't normal.

Before Damon could go into a deeper process of thoughts, Dawn's eyes fluttered open. As soon as Dawn's big hazel eyes were open, Damon was off like the wind.

Sitting up, Dawn shivered when she saw the window was wide open. Glancing at Caroline, who was snoring in her sleep, Dawn tried to remember if Caroline had closed the window before the two got into bed.

Assuming Caroline had gotten up and opened the window in the night, Dawn stumbled out the bed and closed the window.

* * *

 **I hope no one is affected by Dawn's suicidal attempt. If so, please message me. It is not my intention to personally upset anyone or trigger anyone. If any of you are feeling this low, there is some help below. Also, if anyone needs to talk, just message me. I understand as I have been there myself and I can honestly say it gets better. In the beginning of 2015 I had been hospitalized twice, nearly sent to a mental health home and was unable to attend school, now I'm an apprentice hairdresser, surrounded by loving family, losing weight and enjoying life. Always remember it gets better.**

 **Getting help:**

 **If you are feeling suicidal, there are people you can talk to who want to help.**

 **speak to a friend, family member or someone you trust as they may be able to help you calm down and find some breathing space**

 **call the Samaritans 24-hour support service on 116 123 (UK). If you are in a different country, contact your national suicide hotline.**

 **go to your nearest accident and emergency (A &E) department and tell the staff how you are feeling **

**contact NHS 111 (UK) make an urgent appointment to see your GP**

 **Now, I love you guys so much! 107 favourites, 145 follows and 86 reviews! I cannot believe how amazing you guys are!** **I am really sorry this chapter is a little late… Also, sorry for any mistakes I was in such a hurry to get this up before Tuesday as I'm going on holiday for four days, meaning I'll update before and after I get back.**

 **Plus, I remember writing this chapter and literally hating it! My computer was messing around and this chapter took me a long time to write and then my computer decided to delete the chapter… Ugh, thinking about it makes me annoyed!**

 **Review for more!**

 **In response to:**

 **Guest (chapter 4, Jun 14): That's so sweet, thank you hun. Plus you'll find out in either chapter eight or nine. I'm on chapter eight but I need to see how many words 'You're undead to me' adds up to. But it's a pretty big episode which I have big plans for, so it'll probably be chapter nine. But there will be hints a long the way, the wait will be worth it, I promise! Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Melanieblake: Thanks hun, I totally agree and that's what I love about Dawn. I find some fanfictions have the OC's immediately badass vampire killers and are super confident. Personally I cannot relate to them sorts of characters which is why I decided to make Dawn a nervous wreck lol. Slowly Dawn will evolve and her confidence will grow, Damon will be a big part in that. Also Elena and Bonnie is already beginning to slowly increase Dawn's confidence. Plus your too sweet! Thanks for the review!**

 **Guest (chapter four, June 12): You'll have to wait and see! Thanks for the review!**

 **Everlastinglove: Thank you, your too kind! Thanks for the review!**


	6. s i x

**This chapter is dedicated to my beautiful best friend: Katie. Love you too!**

* * *

 **1X04 Family Ties**

 **Dawn Ellis played by Dianna Agron**

 _The atmosphere was a tranquil haven, and although Dawn had no idea what was going on and where she was, Dawn couldn't help but let her surroundings embrace her. All around Dawn, a carpet of ripe grass ran across the acres of land, covering it much like a blanket would with a newborn. A canopy of apricot, burgundy and rose twisted around the jagged edges of the irregular, ash clouds, giving the dusk sky a worldly appearance._

 _Standing within the deep grass of the field, Dawn couldn't help but notice how the wide space was outlined with a wall of large maple trees. The trees were purposely aligned, looking like a line of soldiers ready to take action to intruders of the haven._

 _One tree stood out the most; a great, white oak tree. The tree stood proudly amongst the grass, surrounded by vibrant flowers such as bluebells and daisies. Dawn knew the mighty oak tree was believed to be a symbol of courage and power, some said it was the most powerful tree of all, for the oak tree stood strong through all times._

 _As intimidating as the tree was, Dawn felt a sense of pain surge throughout her body when she noticed that the thick branches were charred. Some had tried to burn the tree down, perhaps it had been burnt down before rising from the ashes, Dawn couldn't be sure. Dawn's brows furrowed when she noticed a great piece of the oak tree had been torn off. Part of the tree was missing, strange…_

 _Near the boundless oak tree, a shallow pond sat. The navy pond flowed through the grass in the opposite directions and went beyond the guarded land in small streams. And despite its appearance, the pond was at least 1000 feet in depth. Dawn assumed fish lived in the pond due to the countless amount of ripples that continued to dance upon the water surface._

 _In long streams, the fresh water pond flowed throughout the grass in five directions and went beyond the guarded land. Three of the streams were rather close, sticking together, but breaking apart every once and while, a different stream had hardly gotten away from the pond and went no further. The remaining stream went off in its own direction, looking as if it was avoiding the others. Although the streams all had their own routes, they all reconnected in the pond._

 _Glancing down, Dawn's shapely, fair brows knotted together in confusion. Adorned in white silk, Dawn couldn't help but feel slightly self-conscious as she noticed how the unrecognizable dress hugged her figure more than she would have liked. The dress Dawn had never seen in her life, was tight around the bust, waist and hips before loosely flowing into a skirt of an array of classical patterns._

 _Dawn couldn't deny how beautiful the dress was. But Dawn was much too freaked out to admire the elegant dress. She was trapped in a damn field and didn't know where she was, something reminded her that this was more important than a pretty dress, although Dawn was pretty sure Caroline would disagree. After all, Caroline loved clothes._

 _As she admired her surroundings, the confusion in her gut failed to calm. It just seemed so real… It didn't feel like a dream. She could feel the cool, refreshing breeze on the backs of her bare legs, she could feel the verdant grass wiggle into the interspaces between her toes. Everything felt too real for it to be a dream._

 _That was when Dawn noticed a brittle hand-made tire swing, hanging from the great hunk of wood that was classed as an oak tree._

 _Feeling drawn to the swing, Dawn walked towards it, her bare feet treading through the grass as she made no protest to show she was bothered about the soil that tarnished her clean feet and gown._

 _As Dawn reached the swing, she was able to get hold of the ropes that somehow held the tire up. Dawn frowned, what was supposed to happen? Had she been drawn to the tree for nothing?_

 _"Dawn."_

 _Jumping, Dawn turned round with widened eyes when she saw a woman beside her. At first Dawn took a wary step backwards. The woman had long auburn hair, which was braided down her back into a pristine yet simple braid, kind brown eyes and a welcoming smile. Although Dawn didn't know the stranger, she felt she could trust the woman. Weird…_

 _"W-Who are you?"_

 _The woman simply smiled and took a step forward. "My names Selene, I'm here to help you, Dawn." The woman's voice was like honey, sweet, but left a trail of charisma when she spoke._

 _Dawn's mind spun as she assessed the tranquil scenery around them… Turning back to the woman named Selena, Dawn's eyes widened when she noticed how the woman had a golden glow outlining her pear-shaped figure. The glow was almost... Holy like? Was this God? Was God punishing her for her decreasing faith? Dawn almost fell to her knees at the thought._

 _"Are you God?" Dawn asked timidly, lips parted as her knees buckled._

 _A soft chuckle left Selene's lips as the older woman shook her head. "No, dear. I'm not god. Not even close. But you are… In a way."_

 _"I don't understand." Dawn murmured, her brows furrowed in confusion._

 _As her eyes travelled down Selene, Dawn couldn't help but notice the strange clothing Selene was wearing. The auburn haired woman was wearing a lavishing formal gown. The dress had embellishments of lace and golden embroidery with a long train. The dress made Dawn envious of her jaw-dropping figure._

 _Selene just smiled. "You won't not yet."_

 **…**

Pressing the saturated coco pops against the sides of the striped bowl with a spoon, Dawn continued to absent-mindedly stare at the chocolate cereal. Although Dawn's appetite had been unusually low over the last fourteen or so weeks, her appetite was practically non-existent at the moment, and Dawn knew why: the strange dream.

Although it had been a dream of some sort, it had felt so real… Dawn could still feel the breeze brushing against the backs of her bare legs. But the authenticity of the dream wasn't the only thing on her mind, Dawn couldn't forget the conversation between herself and the woman named Selene. The soft words from the pretty red-head seemed to be trapped in her mind in a never-ending circle of reputation.

"No, dear. I'm not god. Not even close. But you are… In a way."

"I don't understand."

"You won't, not yet."

However, the weirdly realistic dream wasn't the only thing consuming Dawn's thoughts, poor Tanner was. The blonde soon was due at the police station to write a statement for Liz on Tanner. Due to the fact Dawn had nothing to hide, she wasn't really nervous about writing a police statement, she was simply saddened by the entire situation.

Dawn's mind briefly wandered to Tanner's family. Back before her pregnancy, Dawn had always been Tanner's favorite. And although she hadn't been his biggest fan, he was a decent person. Dawn could recall him telling her about his mother, a woman who lived in North Carolina with dementia, Dawn's heart ached at the thought… The poor woman. Was she aware of his death? Dawn supposed the woman would have been the first person to be notified, although Dawn could recall him claiming her dementia had gotten so bad she rarely recognized him.

Dawn honestly couldn't imagine being told a loved one of her own was dead. After all, family was everything. However, Dawn's family wasn't Gabriel Ellis, Shelia Ellis or Abraham, Dawn's family was Caroline and Elizabeth Forbes.

Although Dawn still had to hand in her own statement, unbeknown to Dawn, the case had come to an end. The council had drawn Tanner's death to a large mountain lion that had attacked a hunter and been euthanized shortly afterwards. But they still needed Dawn's statement.

"Are you going to play with your cereal or actually eat it?" Caroline's voice was playful as Dawn jumped and looked up.

Smiling in amusement, Caroline shook her head. "Sorry." The blonde giggled as Dawn nodded and pushed the bowl of cereal away from her.

"It's fine. I was in a, uh, world of my own." Dawn admitted timidly, flushing slightly as Caroline smiled brightly, showing off her pearly assets.

With Caroline's gaze still on her, Dawn picked up the bowl of her disregarded remains of cereal and emptied it into the kitchen bin. Once the bowl was empty, Dawn placed it in the dishwasher and turned back to Caroline, who was eyeing her curiously.

"Are you okay?" Caroline asked, although the cheerleader already knew the answer.

Dawn had been the first to come across Tanner's limp body. Caroline only prayed Dawn would be able to get over coming across the dead teacher. However, Caroline knew things like that weren't easy to forget… Caroline was well aware of this as she had once walked in on Bill Forbes 'handling' one of the young waiters at the Grill. Caroline hadn't been able to look at her dad for weeks without cringing. Although something told Caroline that seeing a dead body was much more scarring than seeing Bill Forbes holding a twenty-year olds genitalia.

Hopefully Dawn would be able to move on from this traumatic experience. Not only for herself, but for the baby inside of her.

"I-I… I don't know." Dawn admitted, her eyes meeting Caroline's as the fellow blonde sauntered over and gently held Dawn's hand. At least Dawn was telling the truth.

As much as Caroline loved her best friend, Dawn had an annoying habit of pretending everything was okay, but Caroline saw straight through it, usually. It seemed that Dawn had some sort of messed up way of thinking that caused her to assume telling her problems would burden others. No matter how Dawn tried to bottle her emotions, eventually they all burst out and overloaded her system, resulting in an emotional breakdown. It wasn't good to keep all her emotions and problems to herself. The thought of Dawn breaking down made Caroline's stomach turn.

But this wasn't Dawn's only annoying feature. Dawn also put everyone else's problems before hers, no matter how minor or severe her own problems were. Caroline knew her best friend was way too kind and selfless for her own good.

Rubbing her thumb over the smooth flesh of Dawn's knuckles, Caroline nodded understandingly. "It's perfectly normal to feel like this. I mean, you saw a dead body for God sake-" Caroline paused when Dawn winced at the reminder of Tanner's limp body flashed through her mind, "-Sorry." Caroline apologized.

"-Just don't beat yourself up over it, okay? There was nothing you could have done." Caroline continued as Dawn made no comment.

Twirling a strand of blonde around her index finger, Caroline nervously bit her lower lip. Noticing this, Dawn frowned. Caroline almost seemed… Nervous?

"So, what are you doing today?" Caroline asked as Dawn raised a brow at her best friend.

"Well, I have to go to the station to hand in a statement then I have to go to work." Dawn admitted as Caroline sighed in relief.

Noticing this, Dawn arched a brow. Why was Caroline acting so strange? "Is, uh, everything okay?" Dawn asked as Caroline's eyes widened. Nodding frantically, Caroline gave a strained, false grin. "Everything's fine, yes, fine… Why wouldn't everything be okay?! Okay!" Caroline trailed off.

"Okay…"

Although something was clearly bothering Caroline, Dawn didn't have time to ask Caroline about it, as Dawn had to be at the station before 10:00AM. Deciding she'd ask Caroline after her shift at the grill, Dawn ran a hand through her short, choppy locks.

Caroline was relieved to find Dawn would be out the entire day as Damon would be coming round soon. There was a big founders party that night and Damon wanted to choose what Caroline was wearing. It irritated Caroline that Damon treated her like a human Barbie doll, but the blonde said nothing.

The bubbly cheerleader had no idea on how to feel about Damon. It confused her deeply. Part of her wanted to run, to flee and get herself and Dawnie the hell away from Damon, but her mind told her everything was okay, that she wasn't afraid…

But how could it be okay? Damon was a vampire… He had bit her… But she had liked it… Right? Caroline had never been more confused in her life, and that was saying a lot, due to the fact Caroline had attempted to take a physiology course once… God, Caroline still didn't know what 'anchoring heuristic' meant, but she did know she'd never take that class again!

This wasn't the only thing Caroline feared. Caroline was worried for Dawn. It seemed that the dark-haired vampire had some sort of fascination with her pregnant best friend. If it had been anyone else that Damon had been captivated by, Caroline would have been beyond jealous, the blonde would have probably made it her life goal to make the girl miserable, but this wasn't any girl: this was Dawn.

And although many said Caroline Forbes was self-absorbed, bratty and rude, they were completely wrong. Caroline Forbes would have given her own life for Dawn and the baby in her belly. Dawn Ellis was the sister Caroline had never had.

Before Dawn could ask Caroline anything else, the blonde switched the kitchen TV on and began flicking through the channels with the volume at the maximum setting.

"I'm 147 pounds of pale skin and fragile bones. Sarcasm is my only defense-"

"Joey doesn't share food! -"

"You know who spies on people, Cas? Spies! -"

"When I discovered YouTube, I didn't work for five days-"

"Hi, I'm Tate. I'm dead. Wanna' hook up? –"

Caroline continued to flick through the channels, attempting to find something she hadn't already watched. Soon enough, Caroline landed on Mystic Falls' residential news. Rolling her eyes, Caroline groaned at the sight of Logan Fell, the town's local, and much more boring, Perez Hilton.

Before Caroline could turn over, Liz walked onto the stage and stood in front of the microphone. Placing the remote control down, Caroline watched as Liz looked directly into the camera.

"I can confirm that a 12-foot puma, mountain lion attacked a hunter and was subsequently shot and killed. The hunter is in stable condition." Liz read out as she held a statement in her hand.

The private council had assessed the injuries and hoped it wasn't what they thought. A ripped out throat, drained of blood… Only one monster did that: a vampire. Vampire's hadn't been in Mystic Falls since 1864, surely they couldn't have come back…

One-hundred-and-forty-six years later and the vampires were coming back, perhaps for revenge after the round up in 1864. The council were assuming the murder had been covered up by a vampire, meaning they immediately began investigating any evidence for vampires. Logan Fell was currently looking into the hospital's blood bag supply. If any had mysteriously become missing without alterations of the records, then it most defiantly meant vampires were back.

"To repeat, the animal terrorizing Mystic Falls has been caught." Logan announced.

Turning back to Dawn, Caroline smiled. "So, are you going to the founders' party?" Caroline asked as Dawn sighed. The two had been through this, Dawn really didn't want to go to the stupid founders' party…

"I don't wanna' go." Dawn whined, pouting playfully.

"Please come. It'll be fun and you don't even have to buy a dress, you can wear one of mine." Caroline said, putting a hand on Dawn's shoulder as the blonde smiled.

As sweet as the other was, Dawn knew she'd have no chance whatsoever of fitting into one of Caroline's size four dresses. And even if barely squeezed into a dress, Dawn doubted her baby would appreciate that.

"I don't know… I have a shift and…" Dawn trailed off, sighing as Caroline pouted.

"Just think about it, kay'?"

 **…**

Jolting up from his dream, Stefan's breathing was erratic as he sat up, only to find Damon looming down at him. As Stefan attempted to steady his breathing, Damon smirked. His brother had been in his head, imprinting chaos into Stefan's dreams. Stefan shivered as he thought back to the dreams. Damon had engraved horrific dreams into his mind, dreams of Dawn being drained by Damon… Dreams of Dawn's baby being graphically ripped from her stomach by the _ripper's_ hands…

"Bad dream? Do you know how easy it was to get into your head just now? You really need some human blood. It might even the playing field. Football reference. Too soon." Damon chimed, a mocking smirk on his lips as he teased his brother.

Stefan's head was so soft, so easy to penetrate… His brother was weak.

As Damon's eyes scanned Stefan's room, Stefan noticed Damon's distraction. Grabbing the knife that was conveniently placed on his bed stand, Stefan agilely clutched the knife with a modified saber grip. With his hands wrapped around the knife, Stefan's thumb wedged against the flat dimension of the blade as he readied his aim.

With a quick flick of the wrist, Stefan let go of the knife and threw it at full pelt. Due to Stefan's immaculate aim, the knife directly hit Damon, making a deep wound in the vampire's stomach.

Rolling his eyes, Damon painlessly pulled the knife out and dropped the bloody, large bladed knife on the floor. As Damon's wound healed, Stefan continued to be his usual, broody self.

With a twisted smile on his features, Damon held his arms behind his body, his hands clasped confidently. "Right, I deserved that. But I just wanted to let you know, they caught the culprit. The animal responsible for killing coach Tanner and all those people."

Stefan crossed his arms, his eyebrows raised slightly in curiosity. "What are you talking about?"

Damon's head was held high as Stefan anxiously licked his lips. "It was a mountain lion. Really big one. It attacked a hunter this morning. It's all over the news. 'Deadly beast captured. All's well in Mystic Falls'." Damon smirked.

Narrowing his eyes, Stefan frowned suspiciously. "Why would you cover your tracks?"

"I've decided to stay a while. And I'm just having way too much fun here with you, Elena, but mostly Dawnie."

With his eyes still narrowed, Stefan's tongue swiped over his lower lip. Stefan was praying that Damon would leave poor Dawn alone. The pregnant blonde hadn't done anything to Damon and it seemed that his older brother had some sort of enthrallment with Dawn, and Stefan had no idea why. Sure, Dawn was a pretty young woman, but she was too innocent for the likes of Damon.

Part of Stefan was relieved that Damon wasn't focusing on Elena, but Stefan hated how Dawn was being dragged into the situation. The poor girl hadn't done anything wrong, she was the innocent bystander.

"You can't touch Elena now. Soon you won't be able to touch Dawn either." Stefan replied tensely.

Damon's defensive, smug posture didn't change, instead the smirk on his handsome face widened. Taking a step forward, Damon managed to grab the knife without Stefan noticing.

His baby brother was too concerned about Dawnie. But Stefan needn't worry about Dawnie. Damon's pretty little, Sunday-school girl would be fine…

"Well, the vervain keeps me out of her head. Maybe that's not my target. Believe it or not, Stefan, some girls don't need my persuasion. Some girls just can't resist my good looks, my style and my charm and my unflinching ability to listen to Taylor Swift."

Stefan quite liked Taylor Swift. There was nothing wrong with a good sing-along. Love stories, heartache and heartbreak, who didn't like Tay-Tay? Taylor just needed to find the right person! Joe Jonas wasn't made for her! Plus, there was nothing more masculine than listening to a good old love song! Stefan knew all the words to 'You belong to me', not that he'd ever admit it to Damon. Before Stefan could defend Taylor Swift's heart-breaking records, Damon plunged the knife into Stefan's stomach, purposely making sure the knife went in deep enough to puncture Stefan's large intestine.

Groaning, Stefan fell to the floor, clutching his wound as Damon chuckled. Due to Stefan's diet of Mystic Falls' forest animals, Stefan's strength, healing and such weren't anything compared to Damon's.

Glancing down at his designer black shirt, Damon scowled when he noticed the blood stain that was now marked into the material. Blood was a pain to clean out and there was no way he'd get the stain out the shirt that was made from expensive, rather delicate fabric.

"This is John Varvatos, dude. Dick move."

 **…**

Walking out of the small police station, Dawn payed no attention to the odd person that brushed passed her as she kept her eyes trained on the cobblestone path. After filling out her statement, Dawn had been asked by Liz to attend the founding families' party, but Dawn had simply told Liz she'd think about it. Happy with the answer, Liz allowed Dawn to leave. At least the pregnant blonde didn't say a straight up "No.".

Part of Dawn had been tempted to go to the party, but only for Caroline and Liz. Dawn consciously reminded herself to ask Robert to leave her shift a little earlier. But then again, Dawn hated social events or anything like that.

As stray strands of blonde blocked Dawn's vision, the hazel eyed teen made no effort to push the hair away as her arms stayed in the same position. One arm was folded across her chest while Dawn's other was clasped by her side with open palms.

Jutting her bottom lip out, Dawn practically oozed anxiety.

Stumbling slightly, Dawn looked up, frowning deeply when she realized she had almost fallen down the stairs. As Dawn headed down the stairs, her eyes caught a familiar figure.

Without a second thought, Dawn jumped off the stairs and tumbled over the small 2.5 foot wall before hiding behind the wall as the man headed up the stairs. Despite the fact Dawn had jumped two foot without spraining an ankle or injuring herself or the baby, Dawn had no time to even register her actions as her eyes stayed on the man.

Dawn knew that man. She'd always recognize his black shirt, matching trousers and white collar. The familiar man was her father: Gabriel Ellis.

 **…**

Yellow, pink and green dresses littered the room as Caroline held up her favorite dress. The dress was lemon satin and flowed out at the waist, it brought out Caroline's green-blue eyes all while warming up her tanned skin. As Caroline fingered the silky material, Damon carelessly glanced up at her, sprawled on the bed as he discreetly inhaled the pillow, taking in Dawn's mouth-watering scent. It was a shame there was the hint of Caroline's scent on the pillow.

Hung in the wardrobe was a baby-blue dress. Caroline had no idea why she had even bought the dress, as although it was pretty, it was still blue and Caroline had always thought blue clothing looked way too tight on her body.

As Damon rolled his eyes at the blonde, he glanced at the bedside table to see a small photograph of Dawn. The picture couldn't have been taken too long ago, perhaps it was a year ago or so, Damon couldn't be exact.

The picture was of Caroline and Dawn standing outside a church. The two were smiling widely and giggling. Dawn was wearing a white, knee length summer dress with a pink cardigan and matching ribbon, the outfit was pretty yet elegant. While Dawn's outfit was conserved and innocent, Caroline's was more… Out there. The fellow blonde was wearing a pair of white denim shorts and a frilly, yellow tank top.

Looking back up, Damon rolled his eyes when he noticed Caroline eyeing the yellow dress.

Slipping the photo in his pocket, Damon turned back to Caroline. "No yellow. Jaundice. Go for the blue."

Considerably hurt by Damon's comments, Caroline insecurely ran her fingers along the hem of the yellow dress. Looking towards Damon, Caroline frowned. "I don't like the blue."

"Well, I do. And if I'm gonna be your date-" Damon was cut off by Caroline.

"You cannot be my date. My mother is going to be there, and she is a very proud gun owner." Caroline replied, flicking her blonde hair over her shoulder as she turned to the mirror, holding the blue dress up against her body with a frown on her delicate features.

Damon squared his jaw in annoyance and sat up. Forcefully grabbing Caroline's arm, Damon turned the girl to face him. "I went through a lot of trouble to make sure this party wasn't cancelled. It's very important I be there. Please take me." Damon compelled. It seemed like the blonde purposely tried to put kinks in his plans.

A blank look crossed Dawn's features before she smiled. "You should come to the founder's party with me."

Letting go of Caroline's arm, Damon laid back down on the bed, his arms behind his head as Caroline placed the blue dress down and eyed the yellow dress once again. Grabbing the book on Caroline's bedside table, Damon flicked through the pages. "Not if you're wearing that dress. What's so special about this Bella girl? Edward's so whipped."

Skimming through the pathetic novel, Damon scoffed. Was this what English literature had come to? Where was Anna Rice, Charlotte Brontë or Charles Dickins? Instead, there was the insufferable Stephenie Meyer, poor Charlotte would be rolling in her grave if she knew what books had come to… Sparkly, hundred-year-old, virgin vampires…

Caroline rolled her eyes. "You gotta' read the first book first. It won't make sense if you don't." She explained.

Rolling his eyes, Damon threw the book across the room. "Ah, I miss Anne Rice. She was so on it."

Caroline's thin brows furrowed together. "Who?"

Humans… Shaking his head, Damon turned over on the bed and noticed a book shelf the other side. "Are these Dawnie's?" Damon asked, glancing at the variety of classics. Charlotte Brontë, Charles Dickins, Mary Shelley, J R.R Tolkien, Harper Lee, John Steinbeck, Emily Brontë, Jane Austen and Lewis Carroll. Dawn had a large collection. Maybe humans had some hope.

Turning to face Damon, Caroline eyed the blue book in Damon's hands. "Yup."

Wanting to change the subject, Caroline cleared her throat. "How come you don't sparkle?"

Damon scoffed. "Because I live in the real world, where vampires burn in the sun."

 **…**

As per usual, the Mystic Grill was bursting with customers, however, the number of customers were higher than usual. Robert had even had to call in more staff, due to the crowd of hungry pedestrians. Although Dawn didn't recognize all of the staff, Dawn did know that there must have been at least two dozen staff members rushing around, trying to tame the crowd.

Dawn suspected the crowd was something to do with Tanner's death. Everyone knew the Mystic Grill was the heart of Mystic Falls. It seemed like the eccentric bar/restaurant was a comforter for the residents of Mystic Falls. After all, what was more comforting in a crisis than friendly faces, warm food and alcohol?

"Can you check on Mayor Lockwood's table?" Olivia asked, slamming her shoulder into Dawn's as she hurried into the kitchen and began frantically plating up food.

Nodding slowly, Dawn scanned the restaurant to see Mayor Lockwood, Carol and Tyler Lockwood all scattered around a large booth.

Everyone knew the Lockwood's weren't people of new money, throughout generations, money had been passed through the family line. The three lived in a large white, mansion that could have homed every resident of mystic falls! Although Dawn didn't know the actual number, Dawn suspected a house like that would have had at least seven or more bedrooms. All of the members of the family drove flashy cars, even Tyler had an expensive car despite the fact he was eighteen.

Not only did the family have the money, they all looked the part. Carol Lockwood, although an older woman, was very attractive, slim and of medium height, with bright, crystal blue orbs. Her light brown hair was always straightened and she was always seen wearing classy, designer clothing.

The Mayor's wife was known to be refined and wise, with a very polite exterior. Dawn noted the woman must have been beautiful in her younger days. Although it seemed the stress of running the town with her husband had taken the toll on her, giving her deep-set eyes a set of dark bags. The odd wrinkle tarnished her tanned skin, but nevertheless, Carol Lockwood was a stunning woman.

Carol's husband, Richard was very tall with dark, brown hair and brown eyes. Although Dawn rarely saw the man, when she did, she noticed he was constantly wearing expensive, tailored suits. Even when he was dining in the grill, the man wore a sophisticated suit. Unlike his wife, Richard was fairly youthful without a single wrinkle. Dawn suspected this was because Carol Lockwood did more of the work while Richard sat around making appearances.

Much like his father, Tyler was also very attractive. But his rude, rather jerk-ish interior relegated his attractive exterior. Tyler had the tanned skin of his mother, short black hair and his father's dark brown eyes. He was relatively tall with a large, broad build which helped him in football.

Tucking her small notepad in her apron, Dawn pushed a strand of hair behind her ear before nervously heading towards the table.

As she headed towards the table, Dawn noticed the family was talking about Tanner and the founder's party.

"So what happens with the season? One big forfeit? Are they looking for a new coach?"

"I don't know, dad. I doubt anybody's thinking about that right now."

"Charles, founder's party, focus."

The conversation came to an end as the founding family noticed Dawn approaching. Tyler was unfazed as he continued to hungrily dig into his plate of food. Noticing this, Carol sent her son a disapproving look.

"How are you all doing over here?" Dawn asked, giving the three a rather forced smile as Richard smiled.

Giving her a charming smile, Mayor Lockwood let his gaze travel across the petite blonde. "Ah, we're doing great, sweetheart."

Dawn nodded. "Is there anything else I can get you?" Dawn asked as Carol smiled.

"Just the check, honey." Carol replied, eyeing the girl curiously. Before Dawn could go and fetch their check, Carol reached a thin arm out and grabbed Dawn.

Jumping at the contact, Dawn turned to face Carol, eyes widened slightly. Carol however, didn't notice this as she smiled.

"Forgive me if I'm mistaken, but aren't you Preacher Gabriel Ellis' daughter?" Carol asked as Richard looked back at the girl.

Uncomfortably, Dawn smiled. "I-I, uh… Yeah." Dawn mumbled, flushing pink as Carol frowned. "Don't feel nervous, dear. Did we send you an invite to the founding family party?" Carol asked curiously as Tyler looked up briefly, eyeing his mother in confusion. Dawn Ellis, a seventeen-year-old pregnant girl, was hardly the type Carol would usually invite to such an extravagant event.

Dawn briefly remembered Mayor Richard Lockwood giving an invite to her father at a church ceremony. However, Dawn's father had denied attending the event due to it being his anniversary with Shelia. The two had planned a dinner four months before the actual anniversary.

"N-No, my dad and step-mom denied because of their anniversary." Dawn replied, playing with the ends of her sleeves anxiously.

Carol nodded. "Well, feel free to come along." Carol smiled as Dawn nervously bit her lower lip.

"I, uh, don't know if I'd be able to…" Dawn trailed off as Caroline waved a hand.

"Nonsense. I'll see you tonight, 7:00PM." Carol smiled

 **…**

Pressing kisses to the nape of Caroline's neck, Damon's eyes stayed trained on the picture of Dawn that was hung on the wall. Giggling, Caroline threw her head back, almost head-butting Damon as she moaned. "You can be very sweet when you want to be."

The blonde's words were heavy as she panted while savoring the feeling of Damon's lips on her neck. Caroline loved being showered with attention from boys. And although many would call her out for it, Caroline liked it because it made her feel loved. It made her feel like someone except Dawn actually cared about her.

Caroline's mother was constantly working, meaning Caroline didn't spend any time with her mother, while Bill Forbes was constantly travelling around Europe with his boyfriend, Steven. Dawn was the only one who stuck by her side.

"Yes, I can be sweet." Damon replied, continuing to press rough, meaningless kisses onto Caroline's pale skin.

Suddenly Caroline shivered, feeling a sense of dread flood over her. Without turning to face Damon, Caroline began to tremble.

"Are you going to kill me?"

Caroline's voice came out as a strained whisper as Damon chuckled against the back of her neck.

Unceasingly kissing the back of Caroline's ivory neck, Damon smirked. "Mm-hmm. But not yet."

The blonde's tremble increased as her breathing turned into short, erratic paces. Caroline's frantic breathing was defiantly caused by fear, not pleasure.

"Why not?"

"Because there's something I need you to do for me." Damon spoke as he thought back to Dawn. No… He had to focus on Katherine. He needed Caroline to cause a drift between Stefan and Elena. By doing this, Stefan would assume Damon was back in Mystic Falls to ruin his happiness, which was simply an added bonus.

"Anything."

Damon's smirk widened on Caroline's skin. "How good are you at getting this little nose where it doesn't belong?"

"Oh, I'm excellent."

"Mmm."

 **…**

Running her fingers across the itchy fabric of the hideous dress, Dawn's nose crinkled up in disgust as she pushed the green dress back on the sale rack. Red body-con dresses that showed too much, blue halter dresses that hung on figures like a sack of potatoes, green shift dresses that were only suitable for slim figures and pink spaghetti strap dresses that showed not enough. Dawn had never known there were so many types of dresses. Of course Dawn knew there would be some different types, but the sheer amount of styles made Dawn's head spin.

Dawn was used to wearing dresses, however, she wasn't used to wearing such fancy dresses. Even for church, Dawn would wear her usual clothing, which mostly consisted of summer dresses, elbow-length cardigans and flat pumps. The blonde's clothing style could be described as simple yet modest.

As she pulled a pink dress from behind a repugnantly patterned, yellow dress, Dawn examined the dress as she tried to figure out if the dress would be deemed acceptable by Caroline. Dawn hated shopping. It also didn't help that Dawn wasn't the fashion guru that Caroline Forbes was.

Usually, Dawn wouldn't care of what others thought about her dress sense. But this wasn't a normal occasion. This was the founding families' party, and usually, Dawn wouldn't really care about this sort of thing. But Carol Lockwood had asked Dawn herself to go. The last thing Dawn wanted to do was to make a fool of herself.

Looking up, Dawn noticed a petite teenage girl sat at the entrance of the shop behind a desk and a cash register. The employee with dark hair was supporting a name tag that read 'Angie' and was lazily flipping through her magazine while popping her gum in her mouth. The girl would constantly roll her eyes when reading the magazine before letting out an obnoxious laugh.

Pondering if she should ask the girl for help or not, Dawn hesitated. The girl clearly didn't want to help out and was only working there for the money. But then again, Dawn only worked at the Grill for the money. It wasn't like Dawn enjoyed washing dirty dishes and serving meals. However, Dawn liked how the job allowed her to meet more people, for example Jeannie.

Jeannie had actually texted Dawn back and the two had been talking for a couple of days now. Dawn really had taken a liking to the woman.

The blonde was cut out of her thoughts when the door to the store opened, signaling the bell above the door. As the counter girl murmured a rather unsolicited welcome, Dawn looked up, a brief smile rising on her lips as Bonnie walked in.

Bonnie dressed nice. Perhaps Bonnie could help Dawn?

As Bonnie spotted the blonde, the girl grinned and walked over to Dawn, who was still standing by the sale rack. "Dawn!" Bonnie smiled as Dawn blushed and played with the sleeves of her cardigan.

"H-hey Bonnie." Dawn stuttered, feeling awkward as Bonnie smiled tenderly. You could have said that Dawn had bonded with Elena, but Dawn hadn't actually been with Bonnie alone.

"Last minute dress shopping too, huh?" Bonnie asked as Dawn flushed and nodded.

Glad that she wasn't the only one who was last minute dress shopping, Dawn smiled. "I'm glad I'm not the only one… I was working in the Grill and Carol Lockwood backed me into a corner and forced me to attend." Dawn mumbled, feeling more comfortable around Bonnie.

Bonnie nodded. "What dress are you thinking of getting?" Bonnie asked curiously.

Shrugging, Dawn flushed. "I don't even know…" Dawn mumbled.

Giving the blonde a smile, Bonnie began looking through the clothes rack. "I can help you find one if you want?" Bonnie suggested.

"I'd like that."

 **…**

As Dawn nervously twirled in the dress, Dawn allowed Bonnie to inspect her as she played with the ends of the skirt. The dress Bonnie had found on the sale rack was beautiful, it was powder blue in color and made from chiffon. The style of the dress was fit and flare, meaning the dress fit snugly till her waist before splaying out.

"You look beautiful." Bonnie said, grinning as Dawn blushed and shuffled on her feet.

Looking into the large dressing room mirror, Dawn anxiously wiggled her toes, enjoying the feeling of the carpet tickling her toes.

"I-I don't know."

Over the past hour, Bonnie had noticed Dawn wasn't the best at accepting compliments.

"You look amazing, Dawn. You should get it." Bonnie replied, holding the hanger that contained the dress she was going to wear for the founding families party.

Pulling the price tag out of the dress, Dawn frowned. It was a tad expensive but it was half price. But then again, Dawn should have been using her money for an apartment, for her baby. But then again Dawn didn't want to embarrass herself in front of Carol Lockwood. Plus, she could wear it again if she ever got to go to another founding families party.

Nodding, Dawn gulped. "I'm going to get it." Dawn decided as Bonnie grinned.

"Good!"

Before Dawn could reply, Bonnie's phone went off. Pulling her phone out her pocket, Bonnie smiled. "It's Caroline. She wants to meet us at the Grill."

 **…**

Glancing down at her newly painted nails, Caroline observed the light blue manicure that matched her formal dress for the founding father's event. Sighing impatiently, Caroline frowned and began playing with the scarf she wasn't able to take off. Where was Bonnie? Caroline had no idea where Dawnie was, the blonde didn't come home after her shift, so Caroline was beyond worried. She'd ask Bonnie if she'd seen Dawn when the brunette arrived.

The blonde was cut out of her daydream when the bell went off, signaling that someone had walked in. Snapping her head in the direction of the door, Caroline's expression dropped to the floor when she realized Bonnie was with Dawnie. The two were giggling and both had a bag in their hands.

Caroline couldn't help but scowl as the two walked over to her. First Elena and now Bonnie… Why were they trying to take Dawnie? Caroline was beyond annoyed. She had been best friends with Dawn for a long time and now Bonnie and Elena were taking Dawn!

"Care." Dawn giggled, smiling at her best friend.

Caroline's previous annoyance immediately dropped when she saw how happy Dawn looked. "Dawnie! Bon."

As the two sat down at the table, Bonnie pushed her bag under the table while Dawn placed hers on the top. "Care, look at the dress Bon helped me pick out."

Caroline's face dropped. Bon? When did the two give each other such affectionate nicknames? And not only that, why hadn't Dawn asked her to help pick out a dress instead of Bonnie? Plus, the dress couldn't be for the founding families party, right? Dawn had said she wasn't going…

"Oh…"

Neither girls noticed Caroline's lack of enthusiasm.

"It looks so pretty." Bonnie admitted as Dawn pulled the dress out the bag and held it up against her body.

Caroline had to admit it was a pretty dress and the silhouette of the dress would complement Dawn's short hourglass figure.

"Is it for the founders' party?" Caroline asked.

Dawn nodded. "Yeah."

"So, are we still going together because now we need to go in a three." Bonnie asked as Caroline flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder.

Shaking her head, Caroline smiled. "Nope, I have a date."

"Who with?" Bonnie asked curiously as Dawn frowned.

"Who are you taking?" Dawn asked nervously.

Caroline smiled widely. "Damon."

"You're taking Damon to the founder's party? What about us?" Bonnie claimed, frowning, slightly hurt as Dawn frowned as well.

However, Dawn wasn't upset for the same reason as Bonnie.

Shrugging, Caroline glanced back down at her nails. "Go with Elena."

"She's asking Stefan."

"Okay, just go with Dawnie. You both don't have dates and can be alone together." Caroline replied carelessly.

Dawn frowned, hurt by Caroline's rather cruel comment. Sometimes Caroline didn't realize how mean her comments were. "Gee, thanks. What about your mom? Is she okay with you bringing Damon?" Bonnie asked.

"And I'm supposed to care why?" Caroline replied as Bonnie shook her head.

"He's older sexy danger guy."

"Older sexy danger guy? Is that an official witch twitter tweet?"

Dawn cleared her throat and stood up. "I need to pee." Dawn murmured before heading into the toilets.

 **…**

Eyeing Damon carefully, Zach took a wary step towards the vampire who was lounging on the sofa. Damon had ruined Zach's life enough; didn't Damon understand that? Damon had killed his wife and almost killed his child. If it wasn't for Damon, Zach would have been living with his wife and child. Why didn't the vampire just leave? And why was he laid on his couch drinking _his_ alcohol?!

"I didn't know you were here." Zach spoke, his words slow as Damon rolled his eyes.

Without turning to face the human, Damon downed the remains of his glass. "Just going through Stefan's homework. Boy, this country sure has dumbed down in the last hundred years. Why he wants to go to high school is beyond me. I mean, in the seventies, he went Ivy League. Harvard, I understood. Actually, no. I didn't get that either. Go ahead, purge. Get it out. What's on your mind?" Damon mocked, a smirk on his lips as Zach frowned.

He really wasn't up for Damon's mind games. "Why are you here, Damon?" Zach demanded.

Chuckling sarcastically, Damon titled his head so he was looking at Zach. "To spend time with you, Zach. Family's important."

Zach rolled his eyes, losing his temper as he took a step forward. "I know you. You always have a motive. So tell me, what is it this time?"

Growling, Damon stood up and wrapped his pale hands around Zach's slender, weak throat. "You are in no position to question me." Damon growled, squeezing Zach's throat.

Panicking, Zach's legs began to kick as he fought for air. "I didn't mean to upset you—" Zac managed to choke out.

Damon chuckled. "This is not upset, Zach." Damon's grip tightened around Zach's throat.

Zach's panics were answered by Stefan. "What's going on?"

"Having a family moment, Stefan. Spending some quality time."

 **…**

Laying on her stomach, Caroline swung her legs in the air, while scrolling down a webpage. Glancing at Caroline, Dawn hugged the cushion to her chest as she watched Caroline starfish across the bed. A large glass bowl of red M&M's was sat beside Caroline as she continued to hum to herself.

While Dawn gazed down at her nails, Caroline lounged on the bed. Caroline had taken Dawn for a manicure after Bonnie left the Grill. The blonde was also going to do Dawn's makeup and hair. Damon would be picking Dawn and Caroline up later, but now the girls had at least four hours to get ready.

Shoving a handful of sweets into her mouth, Caroline cleared her throat and looked at her best friend. "Dawnie. I've been looking up some names and have found some amazing ones!" Caroline giggled.

Arching a brow at her sister, Dawn motioned for Caroline to continue. "Go ahead." Dawn encouraged.

Due to the fact Dawn's baby's sex wasn't formed yet, Caroline had been looking at unisex, girls' and boys' names.

"Okay, how about Elsa?"

Shaking her head, Dawn's nose crinkled like a rabbits. "You mean like the princess?"

Holding her hands up in mock defense, Caroline sighed, but continued anyway. "Gee. Okay!" Caroline giggled as Dawn joined in.

"Coraline?"

"It reminds me of that movie… Coraline? I think it's called that, but the girl has these creepy button eyes." Dawn pointed out as Caroline scowled.

"I forget about that. Let's rule that one out." Caroline replied, but still continued.

"Honey?"

"Too sweet."

"Madonna?"

"Too Madonna-e?" Dawn murmured, unsure if 'Madonna-e' could technically be classed as a word.

"Katniss?"

Dawn scoffed. "Really, Care?"

Shrugging innocently, Caroline smiled. "We'll put that on the maybe list." Caroline replied as Dawn playfully rolled her eyes, a smile on her lips as she did so.

"Horace?"

"Slughorn?" Dawn replied, causing the two to giggle at the Harry Potter reference.

"Ursula?"

"Isn't that the evil-mermaid-thing in 'The Little Mermaid'?"

"Wyatt."

"Nope."

"Khalessi?"

Dawn scoffed. "You don't even read the 'A song of fire and ice' series. Plus, her real names Daenerys, Khalessi isn't her name. That's her title." Dawn rolled her eyes as Caroline snickered.

"Jane?"

Dawn nodded. "That's pretty…" Dawn admitted as Caroline grinned proudly.

"Finally, one you like!" Caroline exclaimed as Dawn rolled her eyes.

"You're the one picking weird names." Dawn replied, sticking her tongue out playfully.

"Hey! This is a list of the top unique names! As my role as godmother, I refuse to let the little one have a really boring name. Like… Beth!" Caroline replied.

Arching a brow, Dawn smiled. "Godmother?"

Caroline just nodded. "Uh, duh!"

Shaking her head with a smile on her lips, Caroline scrolled down, her eyes lightening up at a name on the page. "Okay, I think this one is a real contender… It's a French name and means 'Joy, song of happiness'." Caroline smirked.

Dawn motioned for Caroline to go on. "Caroline!" Caroline grinned, turning to show Dawn the screen where her name was typed.

Rolling her eyes, Dawn snorted before throwing the pillow that she had been previously hugging, at Caroline.

 **…**

Looking at Zac in concern, Stefan watched as the human rubbed his throat. White hand prints were engraved onto the skin of Zac's pink neck, indicating where Damon had been holding the human. As much as Zac tried to play it off, he was clearly terrified. After all, he had would have died if Stefan hadn't interrupted.

Zac was in some sort of trance as he continued to scrub his neck with the tips of his trembling fingers. The human's face was pale and laced with trauma which he was trying and failing to mask.

All Zac could think of was his poor Gail. She had died at the hands of Damon. Zac's mind briefly flashed to Sarah, his daughter. The girl who he couldn't be a father too, because of Damon.

"Hey, are you okay?" Stefan asked, eying Zac worriedly.

With a scowl on his lips, Zac shook his head. "No, I'm not. And neither are you. How many more people have to die before you see that?"

"I see it. All right, Zach, I see it." Stefan snapped, failing to hide the annoyance that seeped from his words. Didn't Zac understand his brother was more powerful?

"Then why aren't you doing anything about it?" Zac pressured.

Clenching his jaw, Stefan rubbed the back of his head. "I can't, Zach. I can't. It would take human blood. It's the only way that I could stop him, and I can't do that." Stefan replied, shaking his head as he thought of Elena and Dawn. If Stefan digested human blood the ripper would rear and paint Mystic Falls red.

He couldn't let them get hurt because of Damon. Stefan couldn't watch anyone get hurt because of Damon. He wouldn't let that happen. But what could he do? Kill Damon? At the end of the day, Damon was his brother and at one time, his best friend.

"The vervain could weaken him if he ingested it. It would help get you the upper hand." Zac pointed out.

Stefan sighed. Did Zac honestly expect him to kill his own brother? "Vervain hasn't grown here since 1865. Damon saw to that. The little I had, I gave to Elena. What?" Stefan replied as Zac motioned for Stefan to follow him.

Without uttering a word, the two headed down the stairs and towards the basement. Stefan was beyond confused as he followed Zac. After going through a maze of corridors and doors in the boarding house, Zac stopped and opened a door, revealing a small light room.

A table was in the middle of the room with a large heat lamp over it. On the table was a large plant tray… But that wasn't important. What was important was what the tray contained. Sashes of purple and white were littered in the tray, growing tall and strong as Stefan's eyes lit up at the sight. Vervain… Damon had rid of the towns vervain supply a long time ago, but clearly his brother was unaware that Zac was growing vervain.

"You've been growing it." Stefan stated, his lips parted as he eyed the plants.

Zac nodded, smirking as he turned to the vampire. "It's just something that's been passed down through the generations. Blood only runs so deep when you're related to vampires. Damon would kill me if he knew that I had it."

Furrowing his brows, Stefan looked at his nephew in confusion. What was Zac getting at? "But you're telling me. Why?" Stefan asked.

"Because I trust you. And you're gonna need it if you want to get rid of him."

 **…**

Pulling on his jacket, Damon glanced at Stefan, who was standing behind him. Peering at his brother through the reflection of the mirror, Damon smirked. Annoyance was evidently printed on Stefan's broody features.

"Do they still wear ties at this thing?" Damon teased as Stefan scowled.

"Why are you even going?" Stefan demanded.

Shrugging innocently, Damon turned, a sly smirk on his face as he faced his younger brother. "It's only fitting. We were at the very first one, remember?" Damon replied as Stefan continued to scowl.

"I think it's better if we don't draw attention to ourselves."

Stefan ignored Damon and grabbed the bottle of bourbon. As Stefan poured himself a drink, Damon smirked.

"So you should stay here. I'll see to it that Dawnie has a good time. My goodness, I've driven you to drink."

Stefan shrugged. "Can't seem to rid myself of you. What else am I supposed to do, besides go about living my life?"

Rolling his eyes, Damon scoffed. Why was his brother so broody? "Go about living my life. See, therein lies your eternal struggle. You're dead, dude. Get over it. What do you think?"

 **Hi guys! I'm sorry for the slightly late update, I was on holiday with my family and best friend and then I was inspired to write my Klaus OC pre-chapter so I got a little sidetracked. I'll probably publish the Klaus wife OC soon, but that is beside the point. I wanted to thank each and every one of you guys for every single follow, favorite and review! I mean 175 followers?! That's crazy!**

 **Sorry for any mistakes during this chapter. And also, I hope I didn't offend anyone in the baby name filler scene, if I did then I'm sorry.**

 **Now, I need to inform you guys that later on in this fanfiction will contain very dark content but nothing too graphic. That's all I can say without giving it away.**

 **In response to:**

 **Audrey: Salut! Je suis désolé si cela ne se traduit pas très bien... Je suis heureux que votre appréciant mon histoire! Merci pour l'examen!**

 **Julianyu: Hiya, sorry about that. I must of been daydreaming when I wrote that, lol. Ian Somerhalder is 5'9.5 and I made Dawn (who is portrayed by Dianna Agron) shorter than Dianna actually was. I think Dianna's like 5'7 so I probably got confused. Sorry for any confusion, I've changed the height in chapter five. Thanks for the review.**

 **SillyChick13: Hiya, thank you so much! I messaged you the link but I'm not sure you got the message. Thanks for the review.**

 **m00nbunnie: Thank you! Your too sweet:). I love Caroline too, she's one of my favourites. However I'm pretty bad at choosing favorites so I literally love Klaus, Damon, Elena, Stefan, Bonnie, Caroline, Rebekah, Elijah, Katherine, Hayley and Kai :'D. However, I could narrow it down to Klaus, Damon, Elena, Caroline, Rebekah and Katherine, but I can't narrow it down anymore! Thanks for reviewing!**

 **fantasy.92: Hi! Can't give that away hun, but I promise you'll find out soon! Thanks for reviewing.**

 **PirateWizardThief: Thank you! Plus, when did Damon ever stop being a creepy stalker guy;). Dawn doesn't have much good look to be honest, she's pretty rubbish at handling her emotions. Also, I did have fun, thanks! Thanks for the review:) x**

 **Ajahane: Thank you! Thanks for reviewing!**

 **BrittStar1199: Dawn is pretty sweet, naïve though, which won't last long, after all, she does live in Mystic Falls! And aw bless, do you want the baby to be a boy or a girl ;). Thanks for the review!**

 **Flowerchild23: Dawn is so unlucky. She struggles to control her emotions which you will discover in the next chapter and it will have dangerous consequences. Thanks for the review!**

 **Anna.B:**

 **Hi, first off I'd just like to say I love you right now! I love it when people post long reviews, it always makes my day! Anyways, back to the comment, lol. The title was actually inspired by Ryan Star's song 'We Might Fall'. I wrote about two or three chapters before coming up with a title when I came across his song and fell in love with it. I think the lyrics are so relatable to the whole show! And I'm glad you love Dawnie's character and Dianna (who plays Dawn). And the strongest people in life are the kindest as Kahlil Gibran said "Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair but manifestations of strength and resolution."**

 **And about Katherine, I think Katherine would and she wouldn't. Katherine wouldn't immediately see her as a threat due to Dawn's kind personality and naivety. Katherine would use this to her advantage as I can imagine Dawn sympathizing with Katherine, especially when Dawn finds out about Katherine's daughter. But I also think Katherine would be annoyed with Damon and Dawn's relationship, but also Dawn and Stefan (friendship and his protectiveness over her).**

 **Although many people have ideas on what happened to Dawn, I don't think people will expect it or the person who was involved. And yup, a lot of anger from Care-bear and Damon! Plus, I'll probably reveal what happened to Dawn when her and Damon grow closer.**

 **Also, I think will have Klaus interested in her as Klaus seems to like the innocent girls.**

 **And to be honest, I haven't completely decided but I think I have an idea, but it will really anger a lot of readers.** **I'm not sure if Dawn would be able to raise a baby in Mystic Falls with all the vampire problems and such! But then part of me knows Dawn couldn't ever give up her baby as she didn't grow up with a mother (Shelia came into Dawn's life when she was about 11 but even so, she wasn't very motherly).**

 **Thank you! That is so sweet! I promise she'll continue to be good and kind. I don't want to turn her into something she's not in the future. Although she'll grow more confident throughout seasons, she won't ever lose her sweet nature.**

 **Thanks for the amazing review! It means a lot! xx**


	7. s e v e n

**1X04 Family Ties: part two**

 **Dawn Ellis played by Dianna Agron**

Running the thick brush through Dawn's thin, golden locks, a faint smile was laced upon Caroline's lips. It was nice for her to have some alone bonding time with Dawn. No Bonnie, no Elena, just her and Dawnie. At the mere thought of the other two girls, Caroline could feel the horrible presence of the green giant brewing her gut. But who could blame Caroline? The blonde had been best friends with Dawn for eleven years! Caroline had even shared her grape juice box with Dawn and yet Elena and Bonnie were wiggling their way into Dawn's good books.

Caroline, could recall when she had been jealous of Bonnie and Elena's close friendship. After all, it was hard to talk to people who constantly made inside, rather stupid jokes. During her high school 'I'm much cooler than you' stage, Caroline had brushed Dawn to the side slightly and clung to Bonnie and Elena's sides. She had wanted them to become three best friends and the most popular girls in the school. But after a mere week of sticking to the girls' sides, Caroline had missed her blonde best friend. After, Caroline finally realized that her eyes had deceived her.

She had been blind to what was in front of her. She hadn't realized that Dawn had been there for her during everything. Through all the tears, through all the boy troubles and throughout the dreadful Nicholas Sparks movies that she hated, Dawn had always been there for Caroline. The blonde faintly smiled at the memory

The blonde's happiness was short-lived as her mind flooded back to Elena. Why did Elena take everything from her? Caroline knew the doppelgänger didn't mean to, but Elena seemed to naturally take everything from her. First Stefan and now Dawn…

Everyone loved perfect Elena… Don't get Caroline wrong, the perky blonde loved Elena, she was one of her best friends, but Caroline couldn't deny the natural competition that was between the two. However, sometimes it was almost like Elena didn't notice…

"Care… Is everything okay?" Caroline was snapped out of her thoughts by Dawn's harmonious voice.

Looking up from Dawn's mass of blonde curls, Caroline furrowed her thin brows together.

"Yeah, why?" Caroline answered automatically, sending her best friend a tight-lipped smile.

She wasn't okay. Nothing was okay. Damon was using her as a chew toy, her best friend was being poached and Caroline was **beyond** stressed.

After reading a magazine article about how overworking could affect the baby, Caroline was worried. Both her and Liz had commented on how Dawn was overworking, but Dawn wouldn't have any of it. Dawn had claimed she really needed the money, but there was only one question on Caroline's mind: at what cost?

The blonde had found out that overworking in a pregnancy lead to stress, which wasn't good for the baby either. Doctors believe the stress of being at work could be increasing hormone levels that put women at greater risk of pre-eclampsia, a common and dangerous complication of late pregnancy. Not only this, stress could also lead to preterm labor, premature birth, a low birth weight, miscarriages and sleep or behavioral disorders in the baby. Caroline didn't want her future godson/goddaughter unhealthy. All Caroline wanted was Dawn's baby to be born red faced with strong lungs.

"Care." Dawn gave her best friend a stern look.

Just like Caroline knew everything about her, Dawn knew her best friend well, and clearly something was wrong with her. The beautiful blonde had a habit of crossing her arms over her chest when she was defensive, she placed her hands on her hips when she was confident and she sent tight-lipped smiles when she was withholding feelings.

Huffing, Caroline untangled the brush and placed it on the dressing table. As she did so, Dawn spun around to face her best friend and patted the desk chair besides her own. "Sit, C'mon, tell me what's up." Dawn urged.

Defeated, Caroline nervously nibbled her lower lip and began playing with her fingers. "I don't want to burden you." Caroline insisted.

The cheerleader didn't want to add any more stress onto Dawn. Her best friend was distraught enough with the whole business with her father.

"You could never burden me, Care. If something is bothering you, I want to know. You know why?"

Caroline shook her head, her brows furrowed. "Why?"

"Because you're my sister, you're my best friend. And if you have a problem, I have a problem." Dawn replied firmly, taking Caroline's hand in her own. Although Dawn wasn't the biggest fan of physical contact, Dawn ignored the dreaded feeling in her gut. Her best friend needed her. She couldn't let her foolishness stop her from comforting her best friend.

Caroline's lips curved into a large, touched smile. Leaning her head on Dawn's shoulder, Caroline smiled. "I'm so lucky to have you as a best friend." Caroline murmured.

"Sister, not just a best friend." Dawn corrected gently, smiling.

The grin couldn't be wiped off Caroline's face. "I love you."

"I love you too." Dawn replied.

As the two sat there in silence, Caroline looked up at Dawn. "What time is it?" Caroline asked.

Peering down at her watch, Dawn sighed. "5:50."

Silence flooded between them for a moment. "We should really hurry…" Caroline replied as Dawn nodded before the two bolted from their embrace and carried on getting ready.

 **…**

With his signature smirk on his lips, Damon watched in amusement as his brother clutched the glass of bourbon in his hand. It seemed he'd driven his poor brother to drinking, Damon laughed at the thought.

"It's cool not growing old. I like being the eternal stud." Damon informed Stefan, wiggling his brows as his baby brother scoffed.

Shaking his head, Stefan's forehead creased. "Yes, being a 150-year-old teenager has been the height of my happiness." Stefan replied sarcastically, his voice low as Damon sniggered.

"You cracked a funny, Stefan. I should have a drink to celebrate. 1864. You and Katherine were the perfect couple. It was hell watching you dance with her." Damon replied as the memory sparked back to Damon's mind.

Katherine had looked beautiful that night. The curly haired vixen had been wearing an off shoulder plum dress that emphasized her small waist, her ample bust and her large hips, while her brown ringlets had been tied up into a fancy up-do. Katherine's brown ringlets had usually pooled down her back, so it was a special occasion to see Katherine's hair tied up.

"My happiness was short-lived, as you well know." Stefan replied dryly.

With a smirk on his face, Damon pulled the drink out of Stefan's hand and swirled the glass around in his palm. "I remember. I left the party early, I was waiting for her. The night you dropped her off, I was waiting just inside. You were such a gentleman, gave her a kiss on the cheek. And what she really wanted was... Oh, well."

Glancing down at the drink, Damon pulled it to his lips, but paused when a strong tinge affected his senses. This wasn't the smell of plain bourbon. Leaning down, Damon met Stefan's eyes as he smirked. It was spiked with vervain. His sneaky baby brother…

Dropping the drink to the ground, Damon chuckled. "I admire your effort, Stefan. Pouring yourself a drink then spiking the bottle with vervain. I'm not some drunk sorority chick. You can't roofie me. But I can't help but feel a little used. I thought we were having a moment. I have to go to the party angry. Who knows what I'll do?"

 **…**

Anxiously nibbling her lower lip, Dawn looked at her reflection. Granted, Dawn thought she looked a _cceptable_ , but that didn't mean Dawn felt comfortable in the dress. The powder blue dress hugged her bump far too much for her liking…

With her blue dress, Dawn was wearing a pair of white pumps and her usual necklace. Caroline had done Dawn's makeup and kept the look natural, knowing Dawn didn't want flashy over the top makeup. While Dawn's shoulder-length hair was styled in a short messy fishtail braid.

"You look beautiful, Dawnie."

Glancing at her best friend through the reflection of the mirror, Dawn blushed. Playing with the hem of her dress, Dawn nervously bit her lip.

Without turning to look at her friend, Dawn flushed. "T-Thanks."

Rolling her eyes playfully, Caroline spritzed her hair with a layer of extra strong hair spray before turning back to her best friend. Clearly Dawn didn't believe she looked beautiful. Was her best friend blind? Clearly.

Grabbing a posh bottle of perfume of her desk, Caroline gently held it out. "Here."

Dawn's brows furrowed as she stared at the pink bottle of perfume. The perfume was a very expensive, and a lush smelling one at that. It had been bought by Caroline's grandmother before she passed away, so Caroline only used it for important occasions.

"What?"

"Use it." Caroline demanded as Dawn awkwardly accepted the bottle.

With her brows furrowed, Dawn looked at Caroline in confusion. "What..." Dawn trailed off.

Caroline rolled her eyes playfully. "Use it, Dawnie."

"I know what you meant… But isn't this your grandmothers expensive perfume?" Dawn murmured, gripping the bottle tightly, afraid she'd drop the bottle.

A smile rose to Caroline's lips. "Yup-" Caroline popped the 'p'. "-And I want you to use it. You're my best friend Dawn, I don't mind. Plus, you're the only one who I'd let use it." Caroline added.

The cheerleader couldn't help but think back to when her mother had asked to use the perfume for some date that end pretty bad. Caroline had told her mother she could use the perfume when hell froze over.

"Thanks, Care." Dawn smiled.

Grinning, Caroline jumped when a swift knock on the door interrupted them.

"I'll get it!" Caroline sung hyperactively, bounding to the door in her heels.

After spraying a small amount of the perfume on her neck and wrists, Dawn gently placed the bottle back on the desk. Letting out a sigh, Dawn brushed a short strand, that had fallen out the top of her fishtail, to the side. Dawn could hear Damon's smooth, melodic tone.

Taking a deep breath, Dawn forced her numb legs to walk out the room and into the hall. As she did, Damon's eyes snapped towards her. Damon completely blocked out Caroline as he eyed Dawn.

The leggy blonde looked stunning. "Dawnie, you look beautiful." Damon took pleasure in the way she flushed pink. Averting her eyes to the floor, Dawn anxiously bit her lower lip.

"Shall we go?"

Without another word, Damon lead the two to his baby; his 69' Chevy Camaro Convertible.

 **…**

Playing with the hem of her dress, Dawn awkwardly followed Caroline and Damon as they headed up the entrance steps of the large manor. Although Dawn had seen the house from afar, Dawn hadn't seen it close up. It was truly beautiful. Dawn couldn't even imagine living in such a luxurious manor. Tyler Lockwood was one lucky junior.

Dawn had been so caught up in her thoughts, she ended up crashing into the back of Damon. Flushing as Damon spun around, the pregnant blonde nervously nibbled her lower lip.

"S-sorry." Dawn apologized sheepishly.

Caroline took no notice as she knocked on the Lockwood door. As the door swung open to reveal Carol Lockwood, Damon gave Dawn a quick, flirtatious wink before turning back to Carol. Dawn's cheeks lit up as she looked towards the door.

"Caroline! Dawn! You two look smashing." Carol chimed, her eyes glancing between the two before landing on Damon. Dawn noticed how the woman gave Damon a one over, but who could blame her? Damon was **very** handsome.

The older woman looked very nice herself. Carol was wearing a slim fitting cocktail dress, her hair was straightened, her makeup was natural and she had a pair of expensive heels on. Carol Lockwood's high heels alone probably cost more than Dawn's entire outfit.

Giving the woman a sweet smile, Caroline spoke up. "Thank you, Mrs. Lockwood. This is my boyfriend Damon."

Dawn frowned sadly. Boyfriend. They had made it official. It didn't matter anyways, even if they weren't 'official', Dawn couldn't date Damon, not only for Caroline but for Damon himself. Damon deserved better than a broken girl as herself, he deserved someone like Caroline.

Eyeing Damon up, a large smile formed on Carol's lips. "Oh, well, come on in."

"Lovely to meet you. I've been looking forward to this party for quite a while."

 **…**

As live classical instruments rebounded through the entire Lockwood manor, Dawn couldn't help but marvel her surroundings in wonder. The white brick dwelling had looked spectacular outside, but inside? Inside it looked as if it was straight out of a high budget movie set. It was almost too perfect to be true. White marble counters, velvet curtains and large vases of flowers. It was beautiful.

"Impressed?"

Dawn jumped as she turned to find Damon looking at her, his blue eyes trapped on hers as she flushed. Damon looked as if he had just walked off a Calvin Klein catwalk. The raven haired vampire was attired in a matt black tuxedo and a smart pair of dress shoes. Damon's hair was jelled and he was freshly shaven.

Blushing, Dawn pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "I, uh, haven't ever been in such a… Extravagant place." Dawn admitted, looking around shyly as Damon's smirk widened.

Taking a step forward, Damon grabbed a drink of one of the trays. Judging from the golden color of the liquid, Dawn assumed it was champagne.

"You should have seen my old home. You would have loved it. It was much better than this place. Grand staircases, huge libraries, lots of land…" Damon trailed off, pausing to take a sip of his champagne as Dawn's eyes lit up.

"Wow… My house only had one bathroom…" Dawn murmured.

Damon just smirked. "So, having fun?"

The blonde shuffled on her feet as she noticed Caroline speaking with Liz. Nodding, Dawn played with the ends of her dress. "Yeah, I just feel a little out of place. Most of the people here are relatively wealthy." Dawn murmured, self-consciously looking around the elegantly dressed crowd.

Surprised by this, Damon gave Dawn a look up and down. She had nothing to worry out. Dawn looked good, good enough to eat.

The blonde's baby blue dress brought out warmer tones in her skin while highlighting her jaw-dropping figure. Clearly she had been hiding her curvy body under chaste clothing for a while. Damon would have loved to see Dawn in a skin-tight bodycon dress. Although due to her baby bump, Damon knew Dawn would imagine have avoided a dress as such like the plague. Anyways, Dawnie was too innocent for that sort of clothing.

Damon would never understand why Dawn had few friends. After all, Dawn was kind, beautiful and smart. Maybe people were intimidated by this, or perhaps it had something to do with her religion? Damon wasn't sure. All he knew was the blonde was highly addictive.

She was intoxicating. Once you got a taste of her chaste personality you couldn't stay away. She was a breath of fresh air; she wasn't like most girls nowadays. That's what Damon liked about her.

"You shouldn't: you look beautiful." Dawn flushed pink as Damon's gaze softened.

Damon cursed to himself. What the hell was happening to him? He was in Mystic Falls to get Katherine out of the damn tomb and here he was, being _nice_ to Dawnie. It had to be something supernatural, surely? Dawn's presence was inebriating.

"T-Thanks."

Judging from her flushed cheeks, neck and arms, Dawn wasn't used to compliments. It seemed her blush was travelling down her body. As Damon let out a chuckle, he leaned forward and slowly brushed his fingertips against her cheek.

Caressing her smooth skin, Damon noticed how her heart beat sped up. Over his long life, Damon had grown use to simple human behavior. When a human was terrified, their heartbeats would quicken, their eyes would widen, their breathing would become rapid and then they'd lose all sense of control, their flight or fight stage would kick in as they became the prey.

And as Dawnie's heartbeat fastened, Damon immediately knew it was fear. She was scared and Damon had no idea why, he wasn't even purposely scaring her…

"Who hurt you?" Damon's voice was a hushed whisper as his eyes softened.

Granted, Damon was a murdering, cruel, vicious vampire, but he couldn't stand violence against helpless women. Especially pregnant, chaste women. Yes, he had killed Gail and her baby, but to be fair, he had his humanity switch flipped. Damon didn't go a day without thinking of the poor baby and Zac's wife who he killed: not that he'd ever admit that.

Yes, Damon killed women, he fed on women and used women. But that didn't mean he would purposely physically or sexually abuse a woman.

As Dawn's orbs dilated in panic, she began to slowly hyperventilate. Damon frowned as she slapped his hand away from her cheek.

"Don't touch me." Tears clouded in Dawn's eyes as she took a terrified step back.

Slowly, everyone's eyes landed on the petrified blonde. Dawn was now trembling, she had paled and was breathing extremely heavily.

This wasn't right.

"Don't touch me." Dawn murmured as Damon took a step forward. Putting his hands out, Damon frowned. "Hey, I'm not gonna' hurt you." Damon promised as Dawn took another step back.

"Get away from me."

Damon frowned. "Hey, Dawnie. It's me. Damon."

"Get the hell away from me!" Dawn's voice cracked as tears threatened to stream down her face.

"Dawnie…"

Shaking her head, Dawn allowed tears to stream down her cheeks as her lip quivered. Before Damon could say anything else, Dawn hurried off, a frown on her face as she bolted in the opposite direction. All Damon did was watch Dawn. There was no point in going after Dawn, he needed to focus on one thing: the crystal.

 **…**

Trembling fingers wrapped around the glass of water as the sound of traditional music flooded throughout the room. Shakily swallowing the water, Dawn failed to steady her nerves as Liz rubbed her back. The sheriff had found a flustered and sobbing Dawn.

"Now, are you going to tell me what got you in such a state?" Liz's voice was kind as she comforted the girl who was a daughter to her.

Dawn Ellis had never really had a biological mother. After all, her biological mother had died due to complications after birth. But even so, Dawn had another mother: Elizabeth Forbes. The blonde haired, brown eyed woman was one of the most important people in Dawn's life.

Shaking her head sheepishly, Dawn kept her gaze on the floor.

As a frown curved across Liz's lips, the Sheriff sighed. "Dawn, you're like a daughter to me, and if something is upsetting you…" Liz trailed off.

When she received no reply, Liz sighed. "Look, Dawn. Whatever you're bottling up, it isn't good for you or the baby." Liz added. Before Dawn could reply, the two were interrupted by Carol Lockwood signalling for Liz to come over to her.

Giving Dawn a small smile, Liz stood. "I'll be right back. Carol Lockwood's signalling for backup." A small smile cracked out of Dawn as Liz rubbed Dawn's back before heading to Carol.

Draining the rest of her water, Dawn pulled herself up from the chair and headed towards the bar. Just as Dawn put her glass down on the bar counter, a flash of dirty-blond hair made her freeze.

"Dawn!"

Before Dawn could react, she was pulled into a tight embrace by her step-brother. Tensing, Dawn was too afraid to push him away as he finally pulled away.

Abraham's eyes were kind as he sent a friendly smile to Dawn. "You need to come home, I'm sure I you talk to your dad then he'd take you back in." Abraham's lips curled into a frown as he continued. "It hasn't been the same without my little sister. I miss you, and so does your dad and so does my mom. They're trying to act like they don't, but they do, deep down."

As Abraham took a step forward, Dawn shook her head and took a step back.

"Dawn? Are you okay?"

The only reply the blonde teen was met with was a low, terrified mutter. "No… No… I said no.". Abraham took another step forward. "Dawn? Are you okay?"

Abraham's soft brown eyes squinted as his brows furrowed in concern. Had he done something wrong? "Dawn?" Abraham called.

A sense of panic overtook Dawn's body as she began to rapidly tremble. A stinging sensation began to pulse through Dawn's body as she sadly shook her head.

"I said no." Dawn's voice was merely a whisper.

Before Abraham could reply, the ground began to violently shake. Dawn's voice grew louder. "I said no!" People turned towards Dawn

As people began to turn and face the commotion, the earth began to violently shake. The classical instruments stopped as screams echoed around the manor. The guest began to dive under chairs and tables for cover as bottles of expensive wines and champagnes fell to the ground and turned into a dangerous pile of glass shards. It seemed that the public were too busy on finding cover, that they failed to notice the golden glow that outlined Dawn's figure.

"EARTHQUAKE!"

Tears freely streamed down Dawn's cheeks as she shook her head. Dawn's mind was spinning as the ground continued to violently tremble. Unlike the rest of the guests, who were cowering under the furniture, Dawn stood tall on her feet. She wasn't knocked to the ground by the earth's trembling or hit with the rolling furniture or shards of glass. She wasn't scared nor was she concerned for her life or the baby's as furniture, glass bottles and silver platters all glided around the room.

Bottles of alcohol continued to roll off the shelf as the earth continued to quail.

Looking around, Dawn's breath hitched in her throat. Was she doing this? What was happening? It wasn't uncommon for Virginia to have earthquakes, after all, Virginia and the eastern side of the North American continent were in the middle of a tectonic plate. The last earthquake hadn't been long ago, but yet it hadn't been anything like the earthquake that was happening. The earthquake of 2010 had been minor, causing little damage and was barely felt. This earthquake wasn't just happening in Virginia. It was happening worldwide.

As Dawn got back in control of her emotions, the earthquake ceased.

Climbing out from under the table, Carol stood up and assessed the little damage. "It's okay everyone, just a little earthquake. We can't let that ruin our night!"

Everyone reluctantly and rather shakily followed Carol's orders, climbing out from under the tables as the staff began to sweep up the broken glass. It was surprising how little the damage was.

As Dawn bolted out the room, she didn't know what to do. Her emotions were on overdrive and something told her it wasn't too do with her pregnancy. She was having an emotional collapse, or as it's more commonly known: a breakdown.

Bonnie. Yes: she'd find Bonnie. The brunette had confronted Dawn about experiencing strange things, as she herself had been experiencing strange things. Apparently Bonnie had predicted Tanner's death.

The numbers Bonnie had doodled in class. '8, 14 and 22' had been involved in Tanner's death. A license plate on a car near Tanner's death was 'BLDG 8', the car registration had been 'FHT 14' while on the parking space had been number 22. It couldn't have been a coincidence, surely.

Yes, perhaps Bonnie could help her. Bonnie could take her to Shelia Bennett, maybe she'd help her… With that in mind, Dawn rushed to the bathroom, wiped her face with some tissues before bolting to find Bonnie.

 **…**

Frantically, Dawn searched through the shocked crowds as everyone tried to register what had happened. The crowd began dusting off their fancy clothing as the staff turned the furniture back over, while the remaining employees swept up the broken glass and mopped up the alcohol. The orchestra were picking up their instruments and shakily began to play.

As Dawn looked for the brunette, she crashed into Damon. Pulling away from him, Dawn tried to hurry past him. However, Damon was quick to reach out and lightly grab Dawn's arm.

"Hey, you okay?" Dawn wasn't sure if he was asking about her freaking out on him or the earthquake.

Shaking her head, Dawn continued to scan the area for a certain Bennett witch.

"I… I… Need to find… Bonnie." Dawn mumbled.

Frowning, Damon took in her appearance. At the beginning of the night Dawn had looked beautiful. However, now her eyes were puffy and her skin was sickly pale. She didn't look well. Something was clearly eating her alive.

Slowly placing his hands on her shoulders, Damon didn't miss the way Dawn flinched. Tenderly rubbing her bare shoulders with his thumbs, Damon frowned. "Hey… It's okay. It's okay, Dawnie." Damon whispered, his eyes dilating as a sense of security washed over Dawn.

Everything was going to be okay. Everything was okay.

 **…**

Brushing her fingers along the vintage book of the original guest registry, Elena raised a curious brow as she flicked the book open. Elegant, large script was sprawled across the pages while the old founding family members' names were listed below.

" _The founding families in Mystic Falls welcomes you to the inaugural founder's council celebration._ Wow, look, it's the original guest registry. Look at all these familiar names—Sheriff William Forbes, Mayor Benjamin Lockwood. Is that Damon Salvatore? And, Stefan Salvatore?" Elena's brows furrowed as she scanned over the names. What? Damon and Stefan Salvatore?

Before Elena could ponder anymore, Damon and Dawn appeared behind her.

"The original Salvatore brothers. Our ancestors. Tragic story, actually." Damon spoke as Elena jumped and turned to face Damon. Dawn zoned out the conversation and let out a sigh of relief when she noticed Abraham leaving. The sigh was so quiet it was inaudible to human ears, but Damon wasn't human. Casting her a glance, Damon frowned.

Seeing Dawn, Elena gave the blonde a toothy smile.

"We don't need to bore them with stories of the past." Stefan's voice came from behind her as Elena jumped. They were like ghosts! That or Elena was simply a scaredy' cat that jumped at anything. Probably the second option.

"It's not boring, Stefan. I'd love to hear more about your family." Elena smiled as Caroline flounced up from behind Stefan.

Standing beside Stefan, Caroline's bored eyes wandered till they landed on Dawn. "Dawnie! Me and my mom have been searching everywhere for you! I was so worried, I mean there was that earthquake and such…" Caroline babbled as Dawn smiled at her best friend.

Everything was okay…

"Everything's okay, Care. I promise." Dawn replied, fluttering her lashes as Caroline nodded.

The blonde's lips curled into a pout as Caroline glanced at Damon. She was supposed to distract Stefan. She had to distract Stefan. "Well, I'm bored. I want to dance. And Damon won't dance with me."

Dawn frowned as Damon just hummed in reply.

Sighing, Caroline dramatically tuned to Elena. Giving the brunette the cutest puppy eyes she could muster, Caroline pouted. "Could I just borrow your date?"

Elena hesitated. "Oh, uh..."

"I don't really dance." Stefan cut in uncomfortably as Caroline's lips curled into a frown.

Dawn's eyes softened in sympathy just as Dawn was about to claim she'd dance with Caroline, Damon cut in. "Oh, sure he does. You should see him. Waltz, the jitterbug, the moonwalk. He does it all."

A grin found its way onto Caroline's lips as she turned to Elena. "You wouldn't mind, would you, Elena?"

Elena couldn't reject Caroline. The blonde's eyes were full of hopefulness as Elena glanced at Stefan. "It's up to Stefan."

Now that she had permission from Elena and had followed 'girl code', Caroline grabbed Stefan's hand.

"Well sorry, but I'm not going to take no for an answer." With that, Caroline dragged Stefan to the dance floor, leaving Dawn, Elena and Damon alone.

Clearing her throat, Dawn turned to Elena. "I should probably find Liz…" Dawn murmured absent-mindedly before wandering off.

 **…**

As Stefan and Caroline swayed to the music, Stefan couldn't deny how nice Caroline felt in his arms, but that didn't decrease his feelings for Elena.

Stefan had stronger feelings for Elena than he had ever had for Katherine. Elena was the perfect girl: sweet, kind, compassionate and beautiful. Stefan couldn't deny that it was Elena's resemblance to Katherine that drove him to her, but Elena's compassionate, selflessness was what inflicted his feelings for her.

"Damon told you to ask me to dance. Didn't he?" Stefan finally broke the ice.

Looking up, Caroline frowned. Fluttering her lashes innocently, Caroline gazed up at him. "Now why would he do that?"

Stefan said nothing, instead he pulled away from their slow dancing stance and glanced at the tray of champagne.

Motioning to the tray, Stefan cocked a bold brow. "Would you like one?"

Without waiting for a reply, Stefan grabbed two glasses off the tray, making sure he knew which had the vervain in. It would have been a nasty surprise to drink that one. Nodding to the waiter who was holding the tray, Stefan thanked him before offering the champagne with vervain in to Caroline.

Shyly smiling, Caroline looked around before reaching for the glass. Holding the flute of champagne, Caroline gave Stefan a smile. "Okay, just tell me if you see my mom."

 **…**

Returned from her hunt for Liz, Dawn was now standing beside Elena and Damon. Dawn had found Liz and spoke to the short haired blonde woman. Now Dawn was with Elena and Damon, who was telling them about the original Salvatore brothers: Damon and Stefan Salvatore. Apparently sibling rivalry ran in their family, which explained the tenseness between the two.

"The Salvatore name was practically royalty in this town. Until the war. There was a battle here—" Damon began, but was cut off by Dawn.

"The Battle of Willow Creek." Dawn piped up, recalling the answer from history class.

The corner of Damon's lips curved into a smirk as he nodded. "Right."

Flushing pink, Dawn anxiously explained. "W-We talked about it in, uh, class." Dawn murmured shyly, meeting Damon's piercing blue eyes.

Elena's eyes flashed with recognition as she piped up. "Oh yeah, the Confederate soldiers fired on a church with civilians inside." Elena replied.

"What the history books left out was the people that were killed. They weren't there by accident. They were believed to be union sympathizers. So some of the founders on the confederacy side back then wanted them rounded up and burned alive. Stefan and Damon had someone they loved very much in that church. And when they went to rescue them, they were shot. Murdered in cold blood." Damon replied, glancing between the girls.

Dawn's eyes clouded over with sadness as she frowned. Her voice was soft as she spoke up. "Who was in the church that they wanted to save?" Dawn asked, mesmerized by the story as Damon frowned.

"A woman, I guess. Doesn't it always come down to the love of a woman?" Damon replied as Dawn nodded in agreement.

Sighing, Elena decided to clear the air. "Look, I'm sorry that you and Stefan have this thing between you, but I can't get in the middle of it, Damon. I just... I hope you two can work it out."

"I hope so, too." Damon lied, fighting the smirk off his lips.

 **…**

Dawn's mind was distracted as herself, Damon and Elena all headed over to Stefan and Caroline, who were both sipping their champagne and had now finished dancing.

Giving her best friend a smile, Caroline sipped her champagne. The champagne tasted strange, but not in a bad way. It almost had a… Herbal taste to it, as strange as that sounded.

"What'd we miss?" Damon asked as Stefan glanced at Caroline.

The blonde seemed to be too busy finishing the glass of champagne. This meant Damon wouldn't be able to smell the vervain Caroline had ingested. Maybe if he was an older vampire, he'd be able to, for example, Lexi was able to do this. Stefan smiled at the thought of best friend.

"We were just chatting. Drink, Damon?" Stefan nodded to the tray of champagne. All of them contained vervain now. Either Damon could smell the vervain or was recalling earlier events.

With a smirk on his lips, Damon's eyes bored into his brothers. "No, thanks, I'll pass."

Clearing her throat, Elena turned to Stefan. "Stefan, do you have another dance in you?"

Stefan smiled. "Absolutely."

Without another word, Stefan led to Elena to the dance floor as Dawn, Damon and Caroline remained.

As the two began to slow dance, Caroline smiled. "They look so cute together."

Dawn nodded in agreement, but apparently Damon didn't agree. "Don't talk, please." Damon replied, clenching his jaw as he tried to keep his annoyance in check around Dawn.

"Dawn." Turning to face Damon, Dawn raised a brow. "Dance with me." Damon added, holding his hand out to the blonde.

Dawn blinked in surprise. "W-What?"

"May I have this dance." Damon corrected chivalrously, winking as he gave Dawn a charming smile, all while completely ignoring Caroline.

Dawn hesitated. "I, uh, I don't know…" Dawn mumbled, guiltily glancing at Caroline who gave her a small smile.

"Go ahead."

"O-Okay." Before Dawn could say anything else to Caroline, Damon had dragged Dawn off to the dance floor.

Caroline stood motionless before grabbing another glass of champagne. She had never been so conflicted. Part of Caroline was extremely jealous. Why had Damon wanted to dance with Dawn and not her? But then the other part of her reminded her that Dawn was her best friend. Dawn deserved someone to dance with. After all, she had been through a lot losing her father and whatnot.

After all, why not allow her best friend some happiness?

 **…**

As Damon began to sway with Dawn to the music, he didn't fail to notice the way her body tensed as he placed one hand on her waist. Realizing Dawn had no idea whatsoever what she was actually doing, Damon guided her arms around his neck and began to sway their bodies together.

Damon's spare hand found its way to cup Dawn's cheek as he tilted her head up so she was finally looking at him. "Hey, it's okay." Damon reminded her as she nodded.

Her body relaxed as she sighed in relief. It was okay. Everything was okay. "I-I'm sorry, I'm not really, uh, use to doing… This." Dawn murmured as Damon arched a brow.

"You're not used to dancing with a handsome fellow like myself?" Damon questioned innocently.

A giggle left Dawn's throat as she shook her head. "No, I'm not." Dawn replied shyly as Damon chuckled and spun them around.

"I thought boys would be lining up left, right and centre to dance with you." Damon smirked.

Dawn snorted. "H-Hardly."

"Well then they are pretty stupid." Damon retorted before dipping Dawn. Dawn flushed at the movement.

As Damon scooped Dawn back up and twirled her, Dawn couldn't deny the butterflies in her stomach. Well, it was butterflies or her breakfast coming back up, it could have been either.

 **…**

A confused Caroline stumbled outside as she scanned the edge of the perimeter for Damon. The last thing Caroline noticed was Damon and Dawn dancing, the next thing Caroline knew, Dawn and Damon had parted ways.

While Dawn was searching for Bonnie, Damon had gone to find the crystal. Dancing with Dawn had brought human feelings to Damon, which truly scared him. He was a vampire. He was the predator. He was a murderer, a bloodsucking vampire and yet he had been dancing with a chaste, pastor's daughter who was pregnant. Ironic.

"Damon?"

Caroline frowned when she realized Damon wasn't outside. Sighing in defeat, Caroline jumped when a figure brushed passed her.

"Caroline?"

The blonde's lips curved into a smile as she turned to face Abraham. Abraham was Dawn's step-brother and an over-all nice guy. Abraham ran the local choir group, attended college and was known around Mystic Falls as the 'golden boy'.

Caroline had always had a crush on Abraham, but the blonde had never acted on it because of Dawn. Caroline knew her best friend wasn't too keen on Abraham or Shelia.

Abraham was very attractive with shaggy-dirty blond hair and dark brown eyes. He was below average height with a lean and athletic build which he attained by running track. Abraham usually wore smart jeans with a colored sweater. On cooler days, he'd wear short sleeved shirts that showed off his lean arms. Currently, Abraham was wearing a black shirt, matching trousers and a jacket.

"Abraham." Caroline fluttered her lashes flirtatiously as Damon left her mind.

Caroline had always had a crush on Abraham, but the blond was nothing in looks in comparison to Damon. Abraham's features formed into ones of worry as he frowned.

"I'm worried about Dawn… I mean, dad was ridiculous kicking her out… She made a mistake, but don't we all. It's not the same at home without her." Abraham frowned.

The young adult missed his half-sister dearly.

"She's coping. But I don't know how long she'll be able to cope without breaking down." Caroline frowned as Abraham nodded.

Glancing down at his suit jacket, Caroline raised a brow. "So, you been here long?" Caroline asked.

Following Caroline's gaze, Abraham nodded. "Oh! I've been here for a bit, but I forgot my jacket and then I had to walk back…" Abraham trailed off sheepishly, his cheeks flushing slightly as Caroline giggled.

Clearing his throat, Abraham frowned. "Do you know if Dawn would ever think about moving home. I know my parents are being stupid and unfair, but I'm sure they'll get over it." Abraham mentioned as Caroline sighed.

"I honestly don't know…" Caroline admitted.

Abraham nodded understandingly. "Oh… Okay, well, I guess I'll see you around." Abraham murmured shyly, rubbing the back of his neck before heading off.

Caroline then headed inside without a second thought and continued her search for Damon.

 **…**

Heading up the stairs, Damon rolled his eyes as he heard light footsteps tottering after him. Caroline. As he got to the top of the stairs, Caroline grabbed his arm.

"Where have you been?" Caroline questioned, frowning as Damon rolled his eyes.

Deciding it would be easier to just lie, Damon sighed. "Ah. Looking for you." He retorted.

Pleased by his answer, Caroline smiled. However, the smile soon dropped when she thought back to Stefan. "Your brother barely danced with me for five minutes—" Caroline began, but was cut off by Damon.

Gently pushing Caroline so she was standing in the doorway, Damon's pupils dilated. "Okay, just a minute. Stand right... There." Damon demanded before heading into the Lockwood master bedroom.

Trying to recall where he had hidden the necklace, Damon began to mindlessly search through the collections.

"Um, you're not supposed to touch. What is that?" Caroline asked from the doorway. The blonde's body was now half-turned, meaning she could keep a look out and see what Damon was doing.

Damon took no notice of Caroline as he opened a wooden box. A grin formed on Damon's lips as he pulled the necklace out by the chain.

Golden chains were attached to a large, amber crystal which now had a glow to it, indicating its power. The amber necklace had been originally created by Emily Bennett, Bonnie's great-great-great-great-grandmother. The talented witch had used the energy of a comet passing overhead in 1864 to empower the crystal with enough magic to seal the vampires inside a tomb located under the Fell's church and protect them from the fire that was set by the founder's. The crystal had been created especially for Damon, who promised to protect Emily's descendants, if in exchange she would save Katherine's life

In order for the crystal to be activated again and used to break the seal, the comet had to pass over Mystical Falls, however, it had taken over hundred and forty-six years for the comet to overpass. But it finally had.

Now he had the crystal, Damon would be able to free Katherine from the tomb and could finally live happily ever after.

"A very important crystal." Damon murmured, dangling the necklace as he took a moment to admire it. Here it was, the key to finally getting Katherine back.

Caroline furrowed her thin brows together in confusion. "Well, how did you know that it was there?"

"Because I put it there." Damon replied, placing the necklace in his jacket pocket as Caroline frowned.

"When?"

Damon clenched his jaw. He was this close to snapping the blonde's neck. But part of him thought of Dawn. He knew the pretty pregnant girl for some unknown reason, actually liked the annoying blonde.

"A long time ago. Tonight, I'm taking it back, thanks to you."

Caroline smiled but then raised a brow in confusion. "Well, what's it for?"

Sending the girl, a condescending smile, Damon turned to face the blonde. "Never you mind."

"Well, you can't just steal it." Caroline pointed out.

Damon rolled his eyes. "It's not stealing if it's mine. Come on." Damon lead the blonde out the room as she nodded in agreement. Technically, it wasn't stealing if he owned it.

"Well..."

 **…**

As Caroline washed her hands in the 'powder room', Elena entered. Noticing the blonde immediately, Elena smiled and gave the girl a small wave.

"Hey." Elena greeted as Caroline began fixing her already perfect hair.

Glancing at Elena briefly, Caroline smiled while recalling what Damon had told her to do. What she had to do. She had to cause trouble between Elena and Stefan. Caroline didn't want to cause any trouble between the two, but something in her brain told her she had to. She didn't have a choice. It was really weird…

"Hey. So how are things with Stefan?" Caroline asked.

Elena gave her friend a strained smile. Things were not okay with Stefan. Elena had pushed her luck too much and asked about Katherine. She didn't mean any harm; she had simply wanted to know a little more about Stefan. Was it so wrong to ask about the ex that came between him and his brother? Maybe, but then again, Elena had told Stefan all about Matt…

"Great. Just great."

Turning to Elena, Caroline furrowed her brows together as she pulled out a tube of lip-gloss from her bag. "Really? Well, my radar must be off, 'cause I was getting all sorts of other vibes..." Caroline trailed off as she applied a thin layer before placing the lip-gloss tube back in her bag.

As Caroline placed the lip-gloss in her bag, Elena noticed her scarf move aside and reveal some sort of… Bite mark?

"What is that?"

"Hmm?—" Caroline began, but protested as Elena lifted her scarf. "Don't!"

Elena's jaw dropped when she noticed the mark on Caroline's neck. A large, bloody bite mark marred the pale skin of Caroline's upper body.

"Oh god, Caroline, what happened?"

Panic flowed through Caroline as she tried to cover the mark back up. Shaking her head, Caroline pushed Elena slightly back. "Nothing, okay?!"

"That is not nothing! Did somebody hurt you?"

"No, okay, nothing. It just... My mom would kill me." Caroline replied.

Unconvinced, Elena pulled down Caroline's shawl only to find another bite mark marring the smooth flesh of her pale back. "Did Damon hurt you?"

"No! Of course not! Just leave me alone. Okay, Elena?!"

Elena had been friends with Caroline for a long time and the thought of one of her best friends being hurt made her head spin in anger. Obviously Damon had done this to her. Anger pulsed through Elena as she stormed outside to find Damon. Upon coming face-to-face with Damon, Elena pushed him as hard as she could.

"There is something seriously wrong with you. You stay away from Caroline or I will go straight to her mother, the sheriff. You got it? Stay away from her." With that Elena headed back to find Caroline.

Elena was also worried about Dawn… Dawn had liked the sadistic freak who was biting Caroline, and not love biting either. The wounds were lined with dried blood, almost like he had been drinking it. Elena shivered at the thought.

However, Elena knew she couldn't tell Dawn about Damon's… Habits. Dawn was already experiencing enough stress with school and her father, Elena didn't want to add to that. And anyways, Elena would make sure Damon would stay away from Dawn from now on. She wouldn't let Damon hurt Dawn or her baby.

 **…**

Dragging Caroline across the wet grass, Caroline whimpered as Damon's tight grip turned her arm white, stopping the blood flow from reaching her elbow, wrists and hands. With all her strength, Caroline turned so she was facing Damon. The blonde was quivering, terrified of what Damon would do to her. She hadn't told or shown Elena the bites, Elena had spotted them and pulled down her shawl.

"Don't! She took it off and I got flustered, okay?! I didn't know what to say. But I swear, okay? I did not tell her. I just told her that you didn't mean to hurt me." Caroline begged, her eyes watering briefly as she quickly blinked away her tears. She had to be strong: for Dawnie and her baby.

Without another word, Damon went behind Caroline and wrapped his arms around her tiny waist. Caroline shivered when his mouth pressed against her neck.

Just as Caroline thought Damon was going to bite her, he whispered in her ear. "You make me crazy, you know that? It's okay. I forgive you."

Caroline sighed in relief. "I swear I didn't say— "

"Shh, shh, shh. It's okay. Unfortunately... I am so over you now." Damon cut her off before savagely biting into her neck, purposely making sure it was as painful as possible.

As Caroline's blood began to stream down his chin, Damon collapsed to the ground, his throat burning. Damon fought to keep his eyes open as his whole body was taken over with a burning sensation. Trying to spit out Caroline's blood, Damon only ended up spitting out his own blood as his gums began to sizzle and bleed. As Damon experienced immense pain, Caroline laid on the ground, unconscious from the pain and shock.

"What the hell?"

Damon tried to revert his vision as he squinted. A shadow stood over him. With much concentration, Damon finally realized it was Stefan.

"You know; I couldn't spike your drink... So I spiked hers."

Stefan's words were the last Damon heard as his vision turned black.

 **…**

Waking up, Caroline timidly touched her neck, only to find the bite completely healed. Breathing heavily, Caroline shakily stood up, using her hand to push herself up. Besides her hand was the amber necklace. Damon's necklace. Caroline wasn't sure why, but she felt an urge to pick it up. Slowly, Caroline pulled the amber jewel from the ground and admired it.

The jewel unnaturally glowed in Caroline's palm. "Caroline?!"

Caroline popped the necklace in her pocket as she turned to face her best friend. Dawn's pretty features turned into ones of relief when she noticed it was Caroline. "There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you. Are you okay?"

Tensing, Caroline nodded. Had Elena told her what had happened? Caroline prayed Elena hadn't as Dawn didn't need _more_ stress.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Have you spoke to Elena?" Caroline asked monotonously as Dawn's arched brows furrowed in confusion. What was wrong with Caroline?

Shaking her head, Dawn frowned. "Well, she said you were upset, but that's it." Dawn explained.

Caroline sighed in relief, causing Dawn's brows to furrow in confusion. Dawn had a sneaking suspicion her friends weren't telling her anything. Wow… That was a word Dawn never thought she'd be able to use; ' _Her friends'_.

"Care, what happened?" Dawn asked concerned.

The blonde shook her head. "Nothing, I'm fine."

"Caroline, I've known you for eleven years. I know when you're upset. You're shaking. Caroline—What—" Dawn frowned as her best friend began to frantically tremble.

"I'm fine!" Caroline snapped, but Dawn didn't take it to heart. Caroline was upset, she didn't mean to snap.

"Care, come here, come here." Dawn pulled Caroline in a hug as she began rubbing Caroline's back. Caroline sobbed into Dawn's shoulder as Dawn frowned. Dawn didn't like physical contact, but her best friend comes first, not her discomfort or her memories; her best friend.

"Hey, it's okay." Dawn whispered. "Everything's going to be okay."

Everything was okay.

 **…**

As Stefan slammed the cellar door closed, he felt no remorse as he stared at the vervained form of his older brother. Damon was hurting Caroline, threatening Elena and endangering Dawn and her baby. Despite the same blood that flowed through his and Damon's veins, Stefan wouldn't allow Damon to hurt innocent people. Stefan had made this mistake with Gail, and now she was dead. He would never make that mistake again.

 **…**

Elizabeth Forbes, Logan Fell, Gabriel Ellis, Carol and Richard Lockwood all gathered around a small table, discussing deadly matters that were hidden from the public. Carol and Richard had called Gabriel over, and after hearing Liz's assumption of vampires returning, Gabriel had cancelled his plans to dine with Shelia.

"Thank you for staying so late and thanks for coming Gabriel, I know you're a busy man" Richard mentioned as Gabriel nodded his head.

Clearing her throat, Liz tried to act civil around the man who had kicked his own pregnant daughter out. Turning to Carol, Liz raised a brow. "Did you get the Gilbert watch?"

Shaking her head, Carol frowned. "She claims it's packed away in her parents' things."

"I can get it." Logan piped up suddenly as Liz sighed in relief.

"Good. We're going to need it."

Carol anxiously bit her lower lip. Surely they couldn't be back, the original founding families had ridded the vampires from Mystic Falls in the 1864 Fell church fire. "Are you sure?"

Liz nodded. "Five bodies all drained of blood? I'm certain."

"They've come back." Gabriel replied, he had a bad feeling in his stomach. "Death, at last, shall spread its wings over all. Be careful everyone, for the demons have returned."

* * *

 **Hi guys! 200 follows, wooo! I love all of you guys so much! Anyways, hope this chapter is okay. I really don't like this chapter... There wasn't much Dawn and Damon in the last chapter, so I did a couple of scenes with them two. If anyone is curious, Abraham is played by Evan Peters (like he was in season 1 of AHS).**

 **Plus, does anyone know any online safe sights were I could watch Supernatural? I really want to watch it and cannot get the first seasons on Sky. I have Netflix, who don't do it and I'm not paying for amazon prime and Netflix! I might just end up buying the season 1 boxset…**

 **Anyways, I need to ask you guys something. In a couple of chapters, Dawn will be having her half-term scan, the scan which finds out the sex of the baby. Would you guys prefer Dawn to find out the sex of the baby or keep it a secret? And if you guys want to find out the sex, a boy or a girl? I can't decide, so maybe I'll open a poll, I don't know yet. If you want to find out the sex, review and add what sex you'd prefer Dawn to have.**

 **In response to:**

 **Belladu57: Thanks for the review** **J**

 **Vicki: I'm glad you like it! Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Nati1729: Your too sweet, thanks for the review!**

 **Flowerchild23: Thanks for the review!**

 **Anna.b: Thank you! It will relate to Dawn's story a lot! And there will be a lot of tragedy for poor Dawn** **L** **. And that's why I write in 3rd person, as in 1st person you can only look from on perspective, but 3rd you can focus on not only the OC's thoughts and feelings, but the other main characters. Plus, the baby dream was quite creepy which was why I didn't go into much detail, I also didn't want to move the story rating to M. I think Damon has a little bit of an interest in Elena, but only because at this point, he is obsessed with Katherine. I also think he would act interested so Stefan would think he was in Mystic Falls for the purpose of destroying his happiness. Plus, thank you and your actually quite close. It's sort of like a god or an angel but it is more well-known and there is only one person who controls the role, almost like a god. I'm trying not to give it away too much but at the same time give you a clue, lol. And I like the readers to be able to experience everything around them, not just Dawn's POV. By doing this, I think it adds to the plot and gives us different feelings, I love writing Elena, Damon and Caroline the most. Plus, Stefan loves a bit of Taylor Swift, which is brought up again in chapter nine. Here's a little spoiler: Stefan gets a bit too indulged in some Taylor Swift songs and forgets Elena is in the car ;D! I'm glad my writing isn't too cliché and predictable, lol. Dawn's dress was similar to Caroline's dress in plain, baby blue. I also want to give the character's time to bond, I don't want them to jump into an immediate 'BFF' relationship. Caroline's jealousy will get to boiling point, as one of Caroline's main flaws was her jealousy. And I have to make Klaus show an interest, he's one of my favourites with Damon, Caroline, Bonnie, Katherine and Elena (That's my favourites narrowed down, I can't pick, lol). And about the video, I would love to but I don't have any editing software or any experience in making videos, sorry** **L** **. I'd say Carol invited Dawn as a political move, after all, Dawn is Gabriel's daughter, although he practically disowned her, it would make it seem like they council don't judge and draw an illusion of a 'town-family'. I think Dawn will be very conflicted and maybe I'd do something like in Glee where Quinn's baby is adopted by Rachel's mother and Quinn is able to see the baby. But then I don't think Damon would forgive her. Perhaps she may have a dark phase, like Elena with no humanity, but I haven't really planned anything like that, as I feel it would betray the character and go against everything Dawn stands for. Thanks for the amazing review, I literally love your reviews!xxx**

 **Unknown (chapter six, June 27th): I haven't completely decided about the baby, I have multiple ideas on what could happen, but I haven't decided. But I don't think I'll be giving Dawn's baby away. Thanks for the review.**

 **Guest (chapter six, June 27th): Haha, I'm glad you enjoyed the references ;D, I couldn't resist! Thanks for the review.**

 **Guest (chapter six, June 27th): I'm glad your liking the story! Thanks for the review!**

 **Sarah: Don't worry, there won't be any ElenaXDamonXDawn love triangle. Damon will solely be interested in Dawn. Later on, there may be a little KlausXDawn, but Dawn will always go back to Damon.**

 **Guestguest: I'm glad your liking the story! Thanks for the review!**

 **Audrey:** **Merci pour l'examen!**


	8. e i g h t

**1X05 You're Undead to Me**

 **Dawn Ellis played by Dianna Agron**

Nervously drumming her fingernails along the kitchen counter, Dawn sighed as Caroline continued to flick through the television guide. Absent-mindedly nibbling her lower lip, Dawn couldn't control her anxiety as one of her hands travelled down to cup her bump in an attempt to comfort herself.

All Dawn could think about the earthquake… Had she caused it? No, that wasn't possible, right? Although scientists claimed earthquakes were caused by vibrations on tectonic plates as they rubbed against each other, Dawn had always been told different. Her father had always told her that earthquakes were an act of God.

"Oh my god." Dawn heard Caroline murmur, her voice quiet as she placed the remote on the side and leaned back in the armchair.

Turning to see what was wrong, Dawn walked over and stood behind the couch, her breath hitching in her throat as she stared at the small television screen.

A rather made up blonde with a large chest was sitting in a studio with bad lighting. "Over 60 million have died due to the catastrophe earthquake only yesterday. Over a 90 million are in critical condition and many bodies are still to be recovered from under buildings." The woman spoke up, her eyes sad as pictures of the earthquake damage popped up on the screen.

A red banner ran across the bottom of the screen as bold white words panned across the strip _. '60,000,000 dead, 90,000,000 in critical condition'._

"Scientists all over the world are certain this has been biggest earthquake in history. The earthquake has broken the Richter scale, meaning it was over 10, the highest possible recording." The woman continued as she glanced down at her papers.

"Updates worldwide will be posted all day. China, America, Australia, New Zealand Russia, Hawaii, Canada, France, Germany, Berlin, Spain and many more are still recovering from the earthquake and rescuing people from crushed buildings. While more poverty consumed countries such as Afghanistan, Brazil, Argentina, Chili, Algeria, Ghana, Zambia, Vietnam, Uganda, Syria and Nigeria are all reported to be struggling deeply." The woman spoke as Caroline gasped and covered her mouth in shock.

"Diseases are rumored to be spreading around rescue camps, water has been contaminated and millions are still trapped under buildings." The woman spoke as she frowned.

"Over to Dr. Mathew Stewart with some shocking news." The woman said as the camera flashed to a man who was standing outside Mystic Falls. Both Dawn and Caroline raised a brow at this.

Pushing his glasses up his nose, the scientist in a white lab-coat pulled a microphone to his mouth. "T-Thanks, Sarah. Now, scientists all over the world are confused to find that everywhere in the world had been affected dramatically by the earthquake, except a small town in Virginia: Mystic Falls."

"The small town was the only place in the world that experienced light shaking and had no permanent damage. Scientists are unaware why, but are investigating furthermore."

 **…**

Squinting slightly, Damon moaned, his eyes flickering open as he tried to process where he was. He was in some sort of cell. Great, he was in the boarding house cell… At least the boarding house cell was much more welcoming in comparison to his old Augustine cell. As he rubbed his eyes, Damon scowled when his fingers came into view. His bare fingers… Where the hell was his daylight ring? God dammit Stefan…

Looking back up, Damon wasn't surprised to find Stefan stood at the door, looking at him through the bars.

"Where is my ring?" Damon's voice was hoarse as he absent-mindedly rubbed his aching throat. Although he wasn't sure how long he had been unconscious, Damon was hungry, and the vervain didn't help his strength… He was exhausted, but most of all, he was weak.

Shrugging, Stefan stared at his brother blankly. "Won't be needing it anymore."

Seeing his brother weak and pale struck Stefan's nerves as he tried not to frown. Damon's usually flawless skin had lost its glow, giving it an ill tinge. His brother was wasting away before his own eyes.

"How long have I been here?" Damon managed to ask.

Once again, Stefan shrugged. "Three days."

Damon noticeably winced as he ruffled his black hair down. "What are you doing?"

"During the dark ages when a vampire's actions threatened to expose or bring harm upon the entire race, they would face judgment. They sought to re-educate them rather than to punish them." Stefan thought back to Lexi as he spoke. He had been through vampire therapy with the blonde vampire, and it was not pleasant…

Scoffing, Damon narrowed his blue eyes. "You know what will happen if I don't...feed on blood."

Stefan nodded. "You'll grow weaker and weaker. Eventually you won't be able to move or speak. In a week your skin will desiccate, and you'll mummify. A living corpse. Unable to hurt anyone. Ever."

Growling under his breath, Damon shuffled forward slightly. "So what, you're just going to leave me in the basement, forever?" He spat, his eyes on his brother.

"I've injected you with enough vervain to keep you weak. Once your circulation stops, I'll move you to the family crypt, and then in 50 years, we can re-evaluate." Stefan replied simply.

Damon scoffed angrily. "I'm stronger than you think."

Stefan couldn't help but agree. "You always have been. But you're not stronger than the vervain. And we both know it. I'm sorry. Didn't have to be this way." A flash of sympathy flooded through Stefan as he stared at his older brother for a moment longer before walking up the stairs away from his brother.

Laying his head back down, Damon growled under his breath as he tried to save his strengths. He'd get out of there and when he did, he'd paint the town red with blood, starting with pretty little Elena.

 **…**

Zach sat at the breakfast table, a newspaper in his hand as he read the ridiculous article about some hunter catching a 12-foot puma, mountain lion. The same mountain lion that had 'killed' Tanner. Shaking his head, Zach ground his teeth together before closing the newspaper and pushing it away from him. His hands were clenched as his knuckles turned an alarming white. Damon had killed yet another innocent and gotten away with it, just like he had with Gail. But at least this time they had Damon weak and locked in a cell.

Stefan and himself had already come up with a plan. They had injected Damon with enough vervain to keep him down and in a week's time, he wouldn't be able to move or speak, his skin would desiccate and he'd mummify. He'd become a living corpse. Stefan would then move him to the family Salvatore crypt and seal him inside. Although Zach wasn't sure if Stefan would actually go through with the plan. After all, Damon was his brother.

The older man was snapped out of his thoughts when Stefan walked into the kitchen, a rupsack on his back as he sighed. "He's awake. He's weak, but it's probably best to stay out of the basement. He's Damon. I'm not sure how dangerous he still might be." Stefan announced as Zach nodded.

Glancing at the black rupsack on his back, Zach frowned. "You're going to school?"

Stefan frowned. "Came here to live a life. It's about time I get back to that. And Elena, if she's still speaking to me."

Feeling sympathy run through him, Zach sighed. His uncle Stefan was a good man and deserved someone to be happy with, but being a vampire meant Stefan would have to constantly spin a web of lies to humans. And Zach knew his uncle well, Stefan _hated_ lying.

"Why haven't you called her?" Zach asked, glancing briefly back at the paper which had a picture of a large, dead mountain lion on the cover.

Stefan shrugged and sighed, exhaustingly. "What am supposed to do, feed her another lie? I hate lying to her, Zach. I'm not good at it. She already thinks I'm hiding something."

Conflicted, Zach grabbed his mug of coffee by the handle and took a small sip. "What choice do you have? You came here because you wanted to live as normal a life as you could. You knew this was going to be a part of it."

 **…**

Hugging a pillow to her chest, Dawn crossed her legs as Bonnie laid beside her, lazily flipping through a magazine as Caroline sat opposite the two on a desk chair. Currently, the three were lounging around Caroline's bedroom, talking every once a while and listening to music.

Caroline's gaze wandered to Dawn as her pale lips curled into a frown. Something was clearly on her best friend's mind, however, whenever Caroline would bring it up, the pregnant blonde would immediately dismiss the statement and insist she was fine. But Caroline didn't buy it. Something was clearly bothering Dawn and she'd get to the bottom of it, one way or another.

Part of Caroline was tempted to ask Bonnie or Elena for help. As much as Caroline didn't really like the evolving relationship between Dawn, Bonnie and Elena, at the end of the day, it was good for Dawn. Caroline's blonde best friend deserved more friends.

The cheerleader would never understand why Dawn didn't have many friends. Sure, Dawn was slightly unsocial and perhaps even a hermit, but she was kind, compassionate, selfless, funny and intelligent. And Caroline could most defiantly claim that having Dawn as a best friend was the equivalent of having three-hundred friends.

Although Caroline's jealousy was infusing and evolving, Caroline was happy for her friend. Despite the fact Dawn would never admit it, Caroline knew her best friend wanted more than one best friend. And quite frankly, Caroline couldn't blame her. Sure, Dawnie was the best thing in Caroline's life, but Dawn also needed other friends. After all, sometimes if you see someone way too much, you get sick of them. And the last thing Caroline wanted was to get sick of her best friend. Although Caroline didn't think it was remotely possible to get sick of Dawn.

Bonnie, who had noticed something was bothering Dawn, slowly moved her gaze from the photographed perfumes and towards Dawn. Dawn had confined in Bonnie about the strange happenings that seemed to be repeating in her life, and the brunette had understood. After all, similar things had been happening to Bonnie.

However, Dawn hadn't told Bonnie anything else. She hadn't informed Bonnie on the earthquake, after all, Dawn didn't know it was her who caused the earthquake. Things like that weren't remotely possible, right?

"Dawnie. You seem to be deep in thought, what you thinking about?" Bonnie asked, a gentle smile on her lips as her warm, brown orbs lit up.

Caroline tried not to frown at the affectionate nickname. Great, now Bonnie had stolen the nickname as well!

Jumping, Dawn looked up at Bonnie in shock. "Uh. N-Nothing important." Dawn mumbled as Caroline raised a skeptical brow but didn't comment on the matter. Dawn didn't do well under pressure.

Unsurely, Bonnie nodded.

After speaking with Elena, both herself and Elena had decided it would be best for Dawn to remain unidentified with the whole Damon situation. After all, Dawn had enough on her plate with her father kicking her out and her pregnancy, Elena and Bonnie didn't want to add to that.

But just because they weren't telling Dawn about Damon, didn't mean they wouldn't keep Damon away from her. Damon was clearly not right in the head. He was biting Caroline for god sake! And by biting, he wasn't giving her a little love bite, he was literally tearing into her flesh with his teeth and making her bleed. The older brother had some sort of creepy S&M fetish. Bonnie shivered at the thought. There was no way Elena or Bonnie would let him anywhere near Dawn.

Hopefully Elena's warning about Liz would keep Damon as far away from Caroline and Dawn as possible!

Clearing her throat, Dawn awkwardly stood up. "I, uh, need to pee. I think the baby is pressing down on my bladder." Dawn mumbled, blushing as she placed one hand on her belly. As Dawn walked to the bathroom, Bonnie glanced at Caroline.

As soon as the bathroom door shut, Caroline sighed.

"Are you okay? Is this about Damon?" Bonnie immediately quizzed. The usually cheerful blonde seemed… Glum.

Caroline shrugged. "It's just…" She trailed off.

The brunette motioned for Caroline to go on as she grabbed a candle from Caroline's bedside table and began rolling it around in her palm. Glancing down at the candle briefly, Bonnie couldn't help but think back to how she had lit those candles with her mind. What was happening to her?

"I remember the party. Damon came up behind me, and he was kissing my neck, or biting my neck. I passed out. It's like there's holes in my memory lately. It's just weird. Maybe I let him bite me." Caroline mumbled, running a hand through her blonde tresses.

Furrowing her brows together in confusion, Bonnie frowned and leaned forward. "Why would you do that?"

To be honest, Caroline wasn't even sure herself… Sighing, Caroline decided to ditch the subject. "Can we just not talk about it, ok? Don't want to talk about Damon. I don't want to talk about any of it, just want to go back to normal. What are you doing with that candle?"

Bonnie glanced down at the candle and put it back on the bedside table. As she placed the candle on the timber table, her brows raised when she noticed the amber jewel that was sat on Caroline's bedside table. The jewel was connected to a golden chain and looked pretty old.

"Um...nothing. What's this?"

As Caroline answered, the door swung open to reveal Dawn.

"False alarm." Dawn announced as she made her way back to the bed.

Noticing the jewel Bonnie was holding, Dawn raised a brow. "What's that?"

Caroline sighed, seeing no way out. The two wanted to know. "Damon gave it to me. Or he was going to give it to me. All I know is, it's mine now."

Dawn smiled. The necklace wasn't traditionally beautiful, but it had a great deal of charm to it. Dawn's heart stung and warmed up to the fact Damon had given Caroline a necklace. Part of Dawn admired Damon's sweetness. But the other part was jealous. Frowning to herself, Dawn tried to shake off the idea. He was with Caroline! And Dawn would never go behind Caroline's back like that. She owed everything to Caroline and Dawn wouldn't let some boy come between them.

"It's ugly." Bonnie replied, spinning the jewel in her hand.

"I think it's pretty. And it's a sweet gesture." Dawn piped up as Caroline smiled and pulled the jewel out of Bonnie's hand.

"Thank you, Dawnie. Now, Bonnie, get your grubby hands off it."

 **…**

Clutching a great heap of flyers in her arms, Dawn passed out leaflets with Caroline in the school hallways. The cheerleader had organized a fundraiser for the school's sports equipment in memory of Tanner. After a lot of persuading, Caroline had finally dropped the idea of parachuting without a parachute for money and gone with a simpler and less dangerous idea: a car wash. The event would look good on Caroline's Miss Mystic Falls application and raise money for a good cause, plus Caroline wouldn't die! It was a win-win.

However, it seemed some of the cheer squad didn't share Caroline's enthusiasm. The large squad were all for parading around in their bikinis and grinding on cars, but when it came to handing out leaflets it was too much work! Caroline was practically carrying the whole event on her back. But at least Dawnie was helping her.

Shoving a flyer into the hands of some eighth grader, Caroline flipped her hair over her shoulder and gave her best friend a pleading look. "Please come, Dawnie. Plus, who wouldn't want you dripping wet and dirty dancing all over their car?" Caroline teased, wiggling her brows at Dawn while sending the blonde puppy dog eyes.

Dawn snorted. "Because there's nothing more attractive than a short, bloated pregnant woman with ginormous, growing feet." Dawn replied as Caroline scoffed.

Glancing down at Dawn's feet which were covered by a pair of pumps, Caroline scowled. "They're not _that_ bad!"

"Caroline... I've gone up two sizes! Two!" Dawn moaned, holding up two fingers as Caroline snorted. Seeing a tall girl coming her way, Dawn held a leaflet out to her.

Instead of taking the leaflet, the girl slammed her shoulder into Dawn's, blanking the blonde entirely. Noticing this, Caroline seethed. "Hey, girl with the terrible dye job, watch where your walking and take the damn leaflet." Fire was in Caroline's eyes as the blue haired girl turned around, grabbed a leaflet and scuttled away, all her previous attitude gone.

Dawn blushed. "Care, that was mean." She scolded.

"What was mean was her hair. Walking around like that, eugh." Caroline jibed as Dawn lightly elbowed her. "Care!"

The cheerleader sighed. "She bumped into you, what if she knocked you over or hurt the baby! Plus, no one treats my best friend like that." Caroline replied, pointing a finger at Dawn.

Unable to hide the smile from her face, Dawn leaned in. "Thanks, Care." With those words, Dawn pressed a kiss to Caroline's cheek. "It's okay, Dawnie." Caroline responded before her eyes landed on Stefan, who was on the opposite side of the corridor.

"Ooh! There's Stefan. I need to ask him about Damon. He isn't answering my calls or texts."

Dawn's brows furrowed in concern. "Do you think he's okay?!"

Caroline turned back to her concerned friend. "I'm sure he's fine, Dawnie. Don't worry. We can just ask Stefan." Caroline replied before leading Dawn to Stefan, who was currently talking to Elena.

"Stefan, where is Damon? He has some serious apologizing to do."

"He's gone, Caroline." Stefan's eyes were cold as he replied to Caroline.

Dawn gasped, covering her mouth. She hoped he was okay. Stefan made it sound like he was dead, or something. "Is he okay?!"

Concern and worry seeped through Dawn's words as Stefan's eyes softened. Wincing, Stefan shook his head. "He's fine, Dawn, don't worry." Stefan faintly smiled, hoping to comfort Dawn.

Nodding, Dawn nibbled on her fingernails, a nervous habit of hers, as Caroline frowned. "When is he coming back?"

"He's not coming back. I'm sorry."

A feeling of numbness spread through Dawn's veins as her eyes watered. Blinking away the tears, Dawn nodded. "E-E-Excuse me."

 **…**

Approaching the cell that contained a rather weak Damon, Zach's gaze was hard as he glanced through the bars. Damon looked even weaker than he had when Zach and Stefan had lifted him into the cell. Damon's skin had a gray tinge to it, his eyes were red from hunger, the veins beneath his eyes were prominent and his fangs were out. Clearly Zach's footsteps had given Damon hope for a snack.

"I'm full of vervain. I've been putting it in my coffee for 16 years. My blood will only make you worse, Damon." Zach mentioned, his dark eyes narrowed at the weak vampire.

Allowing his fangs to slip back into his gums, Damon groaned and looked up at his great-great-great-whatever nephew. "So it was your vervain. Good for you. Good for you. Family only runs so deep." Damon croaked out.

Scoffing, Zach allowed venom to drip from his words. "We're not family, Damon. Only in the most dysfunctional sense. In fact, I avoided having a living, breathing, loving family because of _you_."

Gail… Sarah… If it wasn't for Damon, Zach would have had a normal life. A life worth living. But instead of having a loving wife who he'd wake up with a cooked breakfast, Zach woke up alone in a cold bed. Instead of receiving a father's day card and a macaroni necklace from his daughter on father's day, Zach woke up on the day, reminded of what he had been deprived of.

"I don't guess I could talk you into bringing me a rabbit or something? I'd settle for Stefan's diet at this point." Damon teased, looking up as Zach scoffed.

Taking a step forward, Zach tried to keep his temper in check. "You know I can't do that."

"You succeeded, Zach. I'm shutting down. You're like your grandfather. He didn't like it when I came to visit, either." Damon sneered, trying to get Zach close enough so he could grab him by the throat.

Just like Damon wanted, Zach took a step forward. "But you don't visit, Damon. You appear, unannounced, reminding me that this isn't my house; that you're just permitting me to live here."

"Someone had to mow the lawn." Damon teased.

As if Damon had ever mowed the lawn. Damon didn't even know how to work a lawn mower! Zach rolled his eyes and took another step-forward. "I came to say good-bye, Damon."

The human was pressing up against the bars, giving Damon the perfect opportunity for freedom. Before Zach could say anything else, Damon used all his strength to speed to the door and grab Zach's puny throat. Applying a large amount of pressure to Zach's throat, Damon growled.

"Unlock it. Unlock the door, Zach."

As Zach choked for breath and tried to get Damon's hands off his neck, the human kicked with all his might. Due to the fact Zach had digested vervain, he could not be compelled, therefore Damon had to use force.

Before Zach could give in, Saint Stefan pulled Zach from his grip. As Zach leaned against the wall, panting for breath, Stefan narrowed his eyes at Damon.

"Keep it up, Damon. The more energy you expend, the faster you'll go."

 **…**

With a frown on her features, Elena sighed as Matt gave her advice. This was what it had come to… Getting relationship advice from the ex-boyfriend she had dumped... Stefan was late for the date, and not five minutes late, not even ten minutes. Stefan was an hour late! He hadn't even texted her. Elena hoped he was okay. But she also hoped she hadn't been date-ditched. The doppelgänger really liked Stefan and the thought of him ditching her, made her heart ache.

"Talk to who? I'm so sorry that I'm late."

Jumping, both Elena and Matt turned to find Stefan.

Furrowing her brows worriedly, Elena frowned. "What happened?"

"I got held up." Stefan replied. The vampire could hardly say his uncle was being strangled by his vampire brother, who was beginning to desiccate and starve.

Taking a step forward, Elena rubbed her arms. "Is everything ok?"

Stefan shrugged. "There was this thing with my uncle."

Frowning, Elena sighed. "And you couldn't call and tell me that you were going to be an hour late?"

Clearing his throat, Matt stood awkwardly between the two. "Ok. You two have fun."

After giving Stefan an encouraging nod, Matt sent Elena a smile before walking away. Once the blonde football player had walked away, Stefan turned back to Elena.

With a frown on his features, Stefan frowned guiltily. "I'm really sorry. It was unavoidable."

"What was unavoidable?" When Stefan didn't reply, Elena sighed. "Ok."

When Stefan didn't reply, Elena turned to leave.

"Oh, uh, Elena, please..."

Snapping back round, Elena's eyes watered. "No, Stefan, don't you get it? Every question gets a vague non-answer. What is so awful that you're afraid to tell me?"

Before Stefan could reply, a sixty-year-old, dark skinned man approached him. Narrowing his eyes in concentration, the man pointed at Stefan.

"I know you. My God."

Despite the panic that pulsed through his veins, Stefan acted confused as Elena glanced between the two. "I'm sorry?"

The man rubbed his gray beard as he tried to remember where he had seen the man. "I know you. How can it be?"

"I think you have the wrong person, sir."

That was when it hit the older man: early June, 1953. How could that be possible. Staring at Stefan in amazement, the older man took a step forward. "You haven't aged a day."

"I'm sorry. Excuse me." Stefan mumbled before gently pushing Elena towards the door. "Hey, can we... Can I take you home and we can talk about it? Is that ok?"

Elena frowned and dug her heels in the ground, stopping Stefan from pulling her along. Whirling around to see why she had stopped, Stefan frowned.

But Elena didn't give him a chance to talk as she frowned. "Wait, what was that?"

"I-I don't know. Uh, nothing."

Sighing, Elena frowned. "Right, nothing. Ok, um...I gotta go, Stefan. Excuse me." Without another word, Elena gently pushed past Stefan and left, leaving Stefan behind.

 **…**

As Dawn sprawled across Caroline's bed, the blonde wiped her eyes as her thoughts overloaded. Damon was gone. He had left. The thought made Dawn want to curl up in a ball and cry. As stupid as it sounded, Dawn had felt like Damon had understood her, like he was her friend. However, he had just gotten up and left. But it didn't matter, everyone left her; she should have been used to it.

Maybe she was overreacting, but she had liked Damon. Perhaps had a crush on him, and she had never felt like that with anyone before. And now that he had left… She felt empty.

He wasn't her boyfriend, he was Caroline's! Why was she getting so upset? He didn't care about her, if he had cared about her, he wouldn't have left.

Running her fingers across the bloated bump, Dawn sniffed. "Y-You won't leave me, will you?" Dawn quietly asked, sniffling.

 **…**

Clearing his throat, Gabriel adjusted his white collar before walking into the room, his head held high as he met Sheriff Elizabeth Forbes' and Logan Fells' gazes. Taking a seat opposite the two, Gabriel frowned.

"Any news on the demons?" Gabriel dreaded the answer. Why would God send demons to his town? Then it hit him, his daughter's sins.

As a child, Dawn had been a sweet little thing, Gabriel didn't know where it went wrong. Dawn had attended every church service, read her versus in ceremonies, completed her homework, reached over expectation with grades and had never done a bad thing in her life. Perhaps it was the demons who had sent the deceitful lies that had dripped from her mouth, that would make sense. Maybe the demons had tarnished his daughter's innocence. It would explain a lot, for Gabriel couldn't see where his daughter went wrong.

"We went over the entire west side of the lake. All the caverns by the falls were clean, no signs of habitat." Liz sighed as Gabriel's youthful features hardened.

"Then they're staying in town." Logan realized.

The Sheriff nodded. "We canvassed all abandoned buildings and warehouses."

Gabriel frowned. "There has to be a private residence."

Rolling her eyes, Liz scowled. It was easier said than done. "And that much harder to locate, if not impossible. These creatures are smart. They know how to go undetected."

The youngest man in the room quickly cut in. "Well, someone who only comes out at night should eventually become obvious."

"What of the watch?" Gabriel asked. The Gilbert's had an ancient invention that tracked down demons. They needed that watch. The invention from Jonathan Gilbert would have been much more reachable if Miranda and Grayson were still alive.

"I'm working on it."

"I knew the Gilberts. That watch is passed down to the men in the family. I'd start with Jeremy."

Gabriel stood and eyed the two. "Very well, I assume we are finished here. Be careful out there, Sherrif, Logan. _Because your enemy, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, looking for any he may devour. Peter 5:1."_

 **…**

As Caroline ranted to Tiki about her one-piece swimsuit, Dawn laid on the bed, her mind blank as her hair spread across the cushion like a wildfire. As Caroline continued to insult the dark-skinned, rather mean girl through the phone, Dawn ran her fingertips along the smooth, bulging flesh of her bump.

It felt so unreal that a baby lied beneath the frail flesh of her belly. Although it was said to be natural, Dawn was still processing the fact she'd have to get used to looking after a fragile, new human. It was almost like her mind was trying to block it out, it was trying to get back to her normal life. Well, normal-ish life back.

Stroking the bump with her fingertips, Dawn couldn't help but let a small smile on her features. She was fourteen weeks pregnant, and apparently, fourteen weeks was a big development as her baby was now able to squint, frown, grimace, pee and possibly suck their thumb. Due to brain impulses, her baby's facial muscles were getting a workout as tiny facial features form one expression after another. The little baby in her stomach was now stretching out, from head to bottom, the baby would measure around 3 ½ inches- the size of a lemon and weighed around 1 ½ ounces. While her baby continued to grow, the body of her baby was growing faster than their head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of the week, her baby's arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of its body. However, the baby's legs still had some lengthening to do.

But this wasn't the only thing changing in her pregnancy, Dawn's energy was returning, ever so slightly and her breasts were feeling less tender. However, Dawn's frequent nausea didn't seem to be decreasing.

Dawn found it strange that she'd be able to find out the sex of the baby in two weeks. Although you could find the baby's sex out after 13 weeks, Dawn found herself unable to fit in with any appointments, so she had to find out at 15 weeks, not that it mattered. Two weeks would fly by.

Although part of Dawn was conflicted if to find out the sex. While Caroline wanted to find out what sex the baby was, Liz suggested keeping it as a surprise. Dawn wasn't sure if she should find or not. After all, Caroline had made a list of all the benefits of finding out and the benefits of waiting.

Caroline had drawn up the list with a sparkly pen and highlighted all the reasons for finding out, while writing small with a black pen for the benefits of waiting. Clearly Dawn's best friend wanted to find out the sex.

Both had many valid points. Apparently, most women found they felt a deeper bond with the baby once they found out the sex and could picture a little boy or girl. Also, she would be able to narrow her list of baby names and could pick out gender-specific baby clothes and gear.

But then again, Dawn didn't feel the baby's sex was a big deal, after all, she'd love her baby no matter what. And then it would be a delightful surprise when she gave birth for Liz, Caroline and herself. Dawn was truly disputed.

Groaning to herself, Dawn continued to rub her bump as she glanced at Caroline, who was not holding back the insults that were directed at Tiki.

Caroline had read that Dawn should find a prenatal exercise class and hadn't stopped pestering Dawn with the idea. Apparently it was a good idea, but Dawn really didn't fancy excising. She was on her feet working constantly and just wanted to sleep. Caroline had suggested prenatal yoga, pilaties, a walking group or a dance class designed for pregnant women. However, the thought of doing sport made Dawn want to bang her head against a brick wall, over and over and over again.

Although Care had offered to attend the classes with her, Dawn wasn't convinced. She'd think about it though.

" _Dawnie… Dawnie… Caroline…_ " Shooting up from the bed, Dawn jumped as her eyes scanned the room.

Damon?

"No, Tiki, do not do the one-piece, ok? I've seen it on you. Trust me. Yeah, but you're going for stripper pole vibe this year." Caroline ranted, placing a hand on her hip as she began brushing her hair in the mirror.

" _Dawnie…"_

" _Caroline…_ "

"Yeah, maybe we should wash the cars in slow motion. No."

" _Dawnie_."

"Caaaww!"

Turning to the window, Dawn bit her lip when she noticed the crow. Dawn immediately was drawn to the beautiful bird. It could have been the one from the cemetery, Dawn couldn't be entirely sure. Gradually, Dawn began to stroke the feathers of the wild animal as Caroline's eyes widened.

"What? Oh, um, no, sorry. Um, so I'll just see you tomorrow. Two-piece. Ok, bye."

Caroline immediately hung up the phone and tried to scare it away. "Shoo, shoo! Shoo! God!"

As the crow ignored the cheerleader and continued to bury its head in Dawn's hand, Dawn stroked its head feathers "Caroline! Don't be so mean. He's a pretty little birdy, isn't he?"

 **…**

Gazing up at the ceiling of the cell, Damon's eyes fluttered open when he heard Stefan's approaching footsteps. If his brother was trying to be discreet, he was failing greatly. Stefan's big feet were making more noise than the earthquake yesterday!

"I bet you're feeling pretty good about yourself, aren't you?"

His brother simply frowned. "Not particularly."

Damon scoffed. "You won. You got the bad guy. Now nothing will happen to sweet Dawnie. Nothing will come between you and Elena. Except the truth. The lies will catch up to you, Stefan. As long as you keep lying to yourself about what you are." Damon spat.

Stefan tensed. "The beauty of you in there and me out here...is that I can walk away."

 **…**

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"… No…"

"Please?

"No."

Groaning, Caroline jutted out her lower lip as she sent Dawn her best puppy dog eyes. Currently, the cheerleader was trying to convince Dawn to get a bikini or swimsuit on and help out at the car-wash. Apparently one of Caroline's cheerleaders had dropped out sick with chicken pox, and the cheerleader was getting no sympathy from Caroline!

"Dawnie… You'd only have to wear a swimsuit, or even a shirt and shorts. Please!" Caroline begged as Dawn frowned.

The blonde had never felt comfortable wearing a swimsuit or bikini and now that she was pregnant… Even more so. It also wouldn't help that she would have been surrounded by tall, tanned cheerleaders, most which who were more legs than brain cells.

"Care. You know I wouldn't, uh, feel comfortable." Dawn mumbled tensely as she played with the sleeves of her cardigan.

Sighing, Caroline grabbed her friend's hand. "How about you operate the cash register then?" Caroline suggested as Dawn shifted uncomfortably.

Nibbling her lower lip, Dawn let out a small sigh. "Fine, but I'm not wearing a bikini or swimsuit. And I'm doing this for you, okay?" Dawn made clear as Caroline squealed with glee.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

 **…**

With a firm expression on her features, Caroline narrowed her eyes as she pointed at the group of shirtless men and bikini clad girls that were surrounding her. While the rest of the girls, including Elena, Bonnie and Caroline, were wearing skimpy bikini's and swimsuits, Dawn was wearing a pair of high wasted denim shorts and a maroon tank-top. Dawn had never felt so uncomfortable in her life.

At first, Dawn had been wearing a modest dress and a thick jumper, but Caroline had scolded her, claiming it was hot outside and not sexy enough. So Dawn had been wrestled into a pair of denim shorts that were way too tight and could burst any moment, and a tank-top that showed way too much cleavage and was tight around her bump. The shorts also showed a lot of leg…

Just by her body language, it was clear Dawn was uncomfortable. Spinning to face Dawn, Elena gave her a comforting smile. "You look pretty, Dawn." Elena whispered as Caroline continued to act like Martin Luther King with her speech about the 'sexy suds car wash'.

Dawn blushed and nervously pulled the clingy tank-top away from her bump. "I-I don't know… Caroline made me wear it and…" The blonde babbled.

Giving Dawn a reassuring smile, Elena grabbed her hand. "You look fine."

Pulling her hand away from Elena, Dawn tried not to wince as she turned back to Caroline.

"No friend discounts. No freebies. No pay-ya-laters. We are not running a charity here. No, we are not." Caroline chorused, her eyes scanning over the shirtless torso's before flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder.

Elena nodded in agreement as Stefan approached. "No we are not."

Glancing at the boy whom she had made up with after he had cooked her a romantic meal, Elena smiled. "Hi." Stefan greeted awkwardly as Elena flushed.

"Hey!"

As Dawn shuffled on her feet, Stefan turned to face her. "Hey, Dawn." Stefan greeted as the blonde weekly smiled.

"Hi… Any news from, uh, Damon?" Dawn asked nervously as Stefan frowned.

Damon didn't deserve a girl as sweet as Dawn worried about him "No, sorry."

Nodding uncomfortably, Dawn's lips formed into an 'O'. "Oh, okay… Well, if you hear anything…" Dawn trailed off sadly as Elena frowned.

"I'm sure he's fine, Dawn." Elena smiled brightly, trying to cover the annoyance that Dawn had mentioned Damon. Elena wasn't mad at the pregnant blonde; she was mad at the fact Damon had managed to charm sweet Dawn … Dawn and Caroline deserved much better than Damon.

"Yeah." Stefan agreed as Caroline's head snapped over to the three.

Noticing that Stefan and Elena were both wearing shirts, Caroline narrowed her eyes and pointed a finger at them. "The event is called sexy suds, you know."

Blinking, Stefan turned to Elena. "Did we just get scolded?"

Dawn giggled.

"And judged, yeah." Elena replied.

"Wow."

Shaking her head, Elena smiled. "I'm sorry, but I guess you're going to have to take that off."

Letting out a chuckle, Stefan pointed at her own vest-top. "I think you have to go first." Stefan replied innocently, fluttering his lashes as Elena snorted.

"Ok."

As Dawn wandered off to talk to Bonnie and Mat, who were both stood nearby, Elena began to take off her shirt. As she pulled off her shirt, the brunette scowled when it got stuck on her head and tangled up in her hair. Laughing, Stefan helped her pull the shirt off her head.

"Ok, um-sorry, So not sexy. Ugh." Elena moaned with flushed, embarrassed cheeks.

"I disagree"

Shaking his head, Stefan pulled his own shirt off.

Eyeing his toned torso, Elena grinned before the two met in the middle with their lips.

 **…**

Bonnie, Dawn and Matt all stood near the customers' cars as Matt gazed longingly at Elena as she kissed Stefan. Following his gaze, Bonnie rolled her eyes and pushed lightly on his chest.

Waggling her finger in his face, Bonnie scolded him. "Uh-uh, no. None of that tortured pining stuff."

Meeting her eyes, Matt innocently fluttered his lashes. "I'm just observing." He protested as a car pulled up.

"It, uh, won't help." Dawn mumbled as Matt sighed.

"I know…"

Pointing at the P.O.S car, Bonnie turned to Tiki; a tall and slender, dark-skinned girl with long brown hair and big brown eyes. Although the girl was pretty, she was very rude, which immediately put Dawn off.

"Oh. Tiki. This one's yours."

The man got out the car and handed Dawn the keys who smiled at him. "Thank you."

Groaning, Tiki eyed the car in disgust. "Why do I always get the homely ones? Just to be clear, your car's a P.O.S. I mean, we can wash it, but it's still a P.O.S."

Granted, the car wasn't the nicest and was a little rusty, but there was no need to be rude. And anyways, cars took a long time to save up for, Tiki probably didn't even have a car…

"There's no need to be rude." Dawn mumbled as the man walked away in embarrassment.

Snapping her head to Dawn, Tiki narrowed her brown orbs. "Excuse me?"

As adrenaline rushed through her veins, Dawn's fight or flight instinct cut in. Beyond conflicted, Dawn was hesitant to say anything to the mean girl, but then again, Dawn felt for the man.

"I-I-I said you don't have to be so rude." Dawn stuttered as Bonnie took a step forward, ready to back the blonde up. Dawn was glad Bonnie had her back.

"S-S-S-Shut up, preggers." Tiki mocked. Flushing in embarrassment, Dawn blinked away her tears as her hands found her bump.

Nodding, Bonnie frowned. "Hey! Leave her alone! She's right, there's no need to be so rude and mean!" Bonnie snapped, fire running through her vein as she grabbed Dawn's hand in encouragement.

Bonnie gritted her teeth as she felt an urge of loyalty flood throughout her. The brunette had never been one for confrontation, she was usually the peacekeeper, but when Tiki insulted Dawn… It was almost like she was obliged to protect her. And when Tiki insulted her, it was like Bonnie had been insulted by a worse enemy or something.

Instead of jumping away from the contact, Dawn let her hand stayed interlocked with Bonnie's. Bonnie, who was glaring at Tiki, felt an uncontrollable urge of power rush through her. Both of the girls felt like they were on cloud nine.

"Rude is uglying' up the road with that junk." Tiki scoffed, turning back to the girls.

Grabbing the switched off the hose from the bucket, Dawn and Bonnie watched, their hands interlocked as power pulsed between them. Before the two knew it, the hose was going at an unnatural force as the ground moved from underneath her, tripping her over. As the hose sprayed her in the face, Dawn let go of Bonnie's hand and covered her mouth in shock.

As soon as their hands disconnected, the water stopped.

"Whoa! What the hell?" The now soaked girl exclaimed, wiping the water from her eyes as Matt chuckled and passed her a towel.

"Wet and wild, Tik."

Dawn and Bonnie met each other's gazes. What was happening to them?

 **…**

With the microphone by his mouth, Logan Fell smiled charmingly into the camera from behind the car wash, making sure the camera purposely caught the girls in bikini's. As the man filmed, he failed to notice his ex-girlfriend approaching.

"All proceeds are going to the school's athletic department still healing from the tragic death of their football coach William Tanner. The citizens of Mystic Falls coming together in support of one of their own. Cut it."

With a smile on her pale features, Jenna Sommers shook her head. "Classy."

Passing the microphone to the camera man, Logan turned back to his ex. Jenna Sommers was one of a kind. The twenty-nine-year-old was a pretty woman with a pale complexion, hazel eyes and strawberry-blonde hair.

"Thank you." Logan replied.

Snoring, Jenna glanced behind her wear the shirtless boys and bikini clad girls were cleaning cars. "But you're still going to video the girls in bikinis, right?"

Logan chuckled. "Well, 53% of Americans watch the news with the sound off."

Smiling, Jenna ran a hand through her bright red locks. "Thank you for dinner. I had a nice time."

"Do you remember the last time we were in the school parking lot?" Logan raised a suggestive eyebrow as he winked.

"Nope. Doesn't ring a bell." Jenna teased.

Furrowing his brows together, Logan took a step-forward. "Really?"

"Nada. Especially not having sex in the minivan." Jenna grinned as Logan laughed.

Shaking his head, Logan smirked. "That was a good day." Noticing the pointed look Jenna was sending him, Logan raised a brow. "What?"

 **…**

Leaning over the car, Elena pressed the sponge against the car as she glanced at Stefan, who was also scrubbing the car. Much to Caroline's dismay, Elena had put her tank-top back on, but Stefan was still shirtless. This meant Elena was able to gawk at his athletic figure.

Noticing the stone in Stefan's ring was getting soap in it, Elena frowned. Placing her sponge back down on the car bonnet, Elena pointed at the ring. "You're getting soap in that."

Pausing for a moment, Stefan glanced down to see his daylight ring was a little soapy. However, a soapy ring was better than being burnt alive in front of Elena.

Shaking his head, Stefan sent Elena a strained smile. "Oh, it's fine."

Nodding unsurely, Elena continued to eye the beautiful blue ring. "I noticed that Damon has one, too. Is there a story behind it?"

"Yeah, it's the family crest from the Italian Renaissance."

Elena raised a brow at this, 'Italian'. Well, that explained Stefan's amazing cooking! "Hmm. What's the stone?"

"It's called lapis lazuli."

Worried the ring was worth a lot of money and could be ruined, Elena glanced at her bag. "Oh. You should really take it off. I could put it in my bag." Elena suggested, giving him a smile as he frowned.

Glancing down at the ring, Stefan scowled. "No, it's...it's fine, really. Thanks, though."

Nodding unsurely, Elena bit her lower lip. "Ok. I'm gonna get some towels."

"Okay."

Walking away from Stefan, Elena got Caroline's attention who was chatting away with Dawn at the cash register. "Hey, we're out of towels and those shimmy things." Elena said as Caroline turned to face her.

Giving her a smile, Dawn shyly wave. "Hey."

"Hey, Dawn." Elena greeted as Caroline scowled but tried keep a straight face.

"I'll go get some more. Mind the money." Caroline insisted before hurrying away.

As she got inside the school building, Caroline no longer had to fight the frown of her features. Looking for the 'shimmy things', Caroline opened the office door, but stopped as she saw a shadow.

Gasping, Caroline jumped back.

" _Caroline. Caroline, help me. Caroline. Help me. Help me_."

Damon?

"Caroline? You okay?"

Jumping around, Caroline placed a hand over her heart when she saw Dawn standing behind her. "Dawn! You scared the life out of me."

 **…**

Now alone, Elena sat at the cash register as she watched Dawn waddle with her swollen feet after Caroline. Shaking her head, Elena frowned. Dawn kept asking for updates on Damon, and it made her heart sting. Poor Dawn had fallen into Damon's trap. But if Dawn knew what Damon had done to Caroline…

Looking up, Elena's eyes landed on the man from the grill. Handing him his car keys back, Elena smiled politely. "That'll be $20. I saw you last night. You were talking to a friend of mine. At the grill?"

The old man was confused for a moment before he nodded. "Well, I... I thought it was somebody I knew."

Elena nodded, encouraging him. "Stefan Salvatore."

The old man was clearly confused as he ran a hand across his whiskered cheeks. "Nah, it can't be. It's just my mind playing tricks on me." He replied, his words slow as he tried to take seeing Stefan in.

"Where do you think you'd seen him before?"

Meeting Elena's eyes, the old man frowned. "When I first moved here, I stayed at the Salvatore boarding house."

Not sure when that was, Elena brushed it off. He could have seen Stefan as a child. She was overacting "Oh."

"Stefan was just passing through to visit his uncle. I mean, none of us knew he was even here until the attack."

Furrowing her brows together, Elena stared up at the man. "The attack?"

The Oldman nodded. "His uncle got killed. Mauled by an animal in the woods."

"His uncle? Zach?"

This time the man shook his head. "Mm-mmm. Joseph."

With her lips parted, Elena wasn't sure what to say. "I'm sorry, sir. I don't think I'm familiar with the story."

"Oh, how could you? I mean, this happened years ago."

Before Elena could ask anymore, Tiki came up and gently pushed him. "Grandpa, you gotta go. Mom wants you home. Ok?"

The older man nodded as Tiki turned to Elena. "He wasn't bugging you, was he? He's a little alzy-heimer."

Ignoring the brunette's cruel words, Elena smiled. "No, he was sweet-" Elena paused and turned back to the man. "-Hey, sir, I'm sorry. Um, are you sure that the man that you saw, that you knew, his name was Stefan Salvatore?" Elena asked.

The old man nodded. "Yes. I remember his ring and his brother—" Unable to think of Stefan's brother's name, he rubbed his whiskers in an attempt to remember.

"Damon?" Elena suggested as the man nodded.

"Yeah. Stefan and Damon Salvatore."

Nibbling her lip, Elena nodded. "When was this?"

Thinking for a minute, the old man smiled. "It was early June, 1953. Yeah. June, 1953."

 **…**

As Elena walked over to Stefan, she couldn't help but eye him warily. How was that possible? How could he have been in 1953 and be a teenager in 2010? It _wasn't_ remotely possible. If the old man was correct, Stefan should have been in his early sixties, perhaps even late seventies. Maybe he was getting confused, it could have been someone who looked a little similar to Stefan right?

"Caroline finally freed you, huh?" Stefan's voice was playful as Elena jumped. Elena had no idea where Caroline or Dawn was.

Trying not to be obvious, Elena nodded. "Uh, I don't know where she went. She abandoned me. Hey, I realized earlier, I had no idea that your family was from Italy."

It could have been a coincidence. It was said that at least 10 people in the world looked like you. But then again, a person from the same family and town was very unlikely…

"No? Last name Salvatore didn't do it for you?" Stefan chuckled.

Elena nodded. "Right. Duh. Are there any other Salvatore's in Mystic Falls?"

"My uncle Zach." Stefan replied instantly as Elena nodded.

"Where did everyone else go?" Elena asked curiously, hoping she didn't sound too obvious.

"Kinda' just spread out."

"Hmm"

Looking up, Stefan's eyebrows furrowed. "Why?"

Elena flushed. "I'm just trying to learn more about you."

"Hmm."

Before Elena could reply, the two were thankfully interrupted by a confused Dawn. "Have you guys seen Care? She was right behind me then started muttering about a cell and ran off. And… Well... I was never a fast runner, and most defiantly aren't one now." Dawn blushed, her cheeks flushed as she panted.

Handing Dawn a bottle of water, Elena smiled. "I'm sure she's fine. But you need to sit down and drink. It's really warm too."

 **…**

As Vicki dragged Jeremy through the cemetery, the teen furrowed his brows together as the thick smell of weed clogged his nose up. Looking around, Jeremy couldn't see anyone.

"Where are you taking me?" He asked curiously.

Vicki just smiled. "We can't hide out in your room all the time. Welcome to my other favorite party place."

"What, a cemetery?" Jeremy scoffed.

"Yeah. It's cool, huh?"

Before Jeremy could reply, she tugged him round a corner as an old tomb came into vision. A group of stoners who Jeremy didn't recognize were sat on the steps of the tomb. Around them was a stereo, a couple of lighters, a keg of beer and drugs.

"Yo, Vick!" A drug-addict named Jared greeted.

Vicki grinned, pulling Jeremy to them by the hand. "What's up, Jared?"

"You baby-sitting, Donovan?" Another man scoffed as Jeremy glared at him.

"This is Jeremy. He's cool." Vicki reassured the group as they passed her two joints; one for her, the other for Jeremy.

"Smoke up."

 **…**

Walking over to Logan, Elena raised a suspicious brow as he continued and failed to charm her aunt, who simply laughed at him.

"Your car was done an hour ago." Elena told Jenna.

Jenna scowled. "You're saying that out loud why?"

Chuckling at his ex-girlfriend's comment, Logan turned to Elena and immediately recognized her. The last time Logan saw Elena was when she was a big eyed, rather angry nine-year-old. Logan could recall her glaring at him through the car window when he made Jenna cry.

"Hi. Elena, right? I think I met you once when you were 9." Logan mentioned, smiling at Elena.

Nodding awkwardly, the girl shifted. "Oh."

"Your emotional maturity level when we were together." Jenna jibbed with a smirk as Logan laughed. "Ouch. Here I thought we were making progress." He teased.

Turning to her aunt, Elena arched a brow. "Is he enough in your good graces that I can ask him for a favor?"

"If I do her a favor, will I get back in your good graces?" Logan asked, smiling charmingly at Jenna who scoffed.

Rather reluctantly, Jenna nodded. "Uh, a very reluctant maybe to both."

"Done. Wait. One condition. Dinner, tonight, your house." Logan demanded.

Arching a brow, Jenna was surprised, but nodded anyways.

"Fine. But you're eating leftovers." Jenna demanded before rolling her eyes and walking away. Shaking his head with a smile, Logan turned back to Elena.

"Ooh. What do you need?"

"Do you have access to old news stories, say, fifties?"

 **…**

As Caroline stumbled through the extravagant boarding house, the blonde had no idea why she was in the random house. But something was pulling her into the house, calling for her…

With her arms crossed over her chest, Caroline looked for the person calling her. " _Caroline_."

Looking around, Caroline frowned and opened a door where a staircase was. Her brows furrowed in confusion as she went down the stairs and found it lead to some sort of creepy cellar.

" _Caroline, help me. Caroline. Help me_."

Following the voice, Caroline gasped when she saw a weak Damon, crouching in front of the bars. "Damon? Damon? Damon? Oh, my god! What is this? How did I know that you were here?" Caroline asked, looking around widely.

Impatiently, Damon gritted his teeth. "Because I wanted you to. Very, very badly. Let me out of here. Please."

Caroline took a step back, her eyes sad as she stared at Damon. "You bit me."

Gritting his teeth, Damon's eyes glared into Caroline's. "You liked it. Remember?"

Shaking her head, Caroline cradled her mind. "Why do I keep remembering the same things, but in different ways?"

"You remember what I want you to remember. And now that the vervain has passed out of your system, you won't remember what you're about to do." Damon spat as Caroline frowned.

"What am I about to do?"

"You're gonna open the door. You're gonna open the door." Damon ordered.

Nodding, Caroline murmured his orders under her breath and slowly began to unlock the door. Just as the door was 2/3rd of the way unlocked, Zach ran down the stairs.

"No! No! Get out of here. Run! Run!"

Caroline didn't hesitate to run as Damon pushed through the door and snapped Zach's puny neck. As Damon tried to grab the blonde's leg, she kicked Damon in the face.

Sprinting out the door, Caroline panted as Damon growled.

Instantly, Damon tried to grab Caroline but was burnt by the sun. As Caroline ran from the boarding house, Damon scowled. Fine, maybe he'd have to visit Dawnie later… Caroline would regret running.

 **…**

Placing a hand on her hip, Tiki strutted over to Bonnie and held out a sweeping brush. Raising a brow, Bonnie silently questioned Tiki.

"Sweeper duty." The brunette explained, rolling her eyes at Bonnie.

The witch furrowed her brows together. "What?"

"We have to clean the pavement." The brunette replied.

Bonnie scoffed. Was this girl stupid? "It's a car wash. By definition, the pavement's clean."

"But not dry." The cheerleader retorted.

Taking the broom from the girl, Bonnie frowned. "And I'm doing this why?"

Tiki rolled her eyes. "Caroline bailed, so that leaves me in charge. Fabulous."

As the girl strutted off, Bonnie felt her rage take over. With much concentration, Bonnie was stuck in a trance as the water on the pavement set on fire. As the fire continued to rise, it followed the path to Tiki's car. As everyone crowded around the car and tried to put the fire out, Stefan touched Bonnie's shoulder.

"Bonnie! Bonnie! Bonnie! Hey."

The brunette was snapped out of her concentration as Stefan lightly shook her fire. The fire immediately stopped. What was happening to her?

 **…**

Scowling, Jeremy stood up as Vicki acted a completely different girl around her friends than she did with him. Jeremy hated how all they did was get high, he didn't want that. He really liked Vick, but she wasn't taking their relationship seriously.

"Vicki brought the party police." One of Vicki's low-life, high school drop-out, drug dealing friends scoffed, rolling the joint between his fingers.

Rolling her eyes, Vicki turned to the dark-haired, lanky drug addict. "Shut up, Tony. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you mad."

As soon as Vicki turned back to Jeremy, the younger Gilbert began ranting as he pulled on her arm. "Well, what are we doing, partying in a cemetery with a bunch of losers?"

"Those are my friends."

Jeremy scoffed. "They're waste of space small-town lifers."

"Yeah? What am I?" Vicki snapped.

Stepping forward, Jeremy gripped her arm gently. "You're different, Vick."

"No, you are. You're the kid with the big house who's acting out because his parents died. Guess what- You'll get over it. You will pull yourself together, move on, and one day tell your kids stories about your dark period growing up. And I'll still be here, waiting tables at the grill, partying at the cemetery with a bunch of waste of space small-town lifers." Jeremy's eyes softened.

"Look—" Jeremy tried, but was immediately pushed away.

"Go home, Jeremy. If I want to feel like crap about myself, I'll just go back to Tyler."

 **…**

Searching the crowd for the Petrova doppelgänger, Stefan frowned when he failed to spot the brunette. Elena had disappeared and Stefan was pretty worried for her. Spotting the back of Matt's blonde hair in the crowd, Stefan approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, have you seen Elena?" Stefan asked.

Furrowing his fair brows together, Matt shook his head. "No, not for a while."

Stefan frowned. "You think she went home?"

Shrugging, Matt bit his lower lip. "Not sure."

"Thanks." Stefan replied politely.

Nodding, Matt took a step forward. "Hey. I'm not saying this for you. I'm saying it for her. But she's big on trust. So whatever you're holding back from her, the more you try to hide it, the more she won't stop till she figures it out."

 **…**

Sitting over the computer monitors, Elena scrolled through the files and clicked on one of the videos. As the video began playing, a tall man with a rather bushy mustache was speaking into the camera. And in the background, was the Salvatore boarding house.

"This is Franklin Fell reporting to you from the Salvatore Boarding House, where a brutal animal attack has ended in tragedy. Ok, they're bringing out the bodies. See if you can get closer. Is that the nephew?"

As the camera zoomed in, Elena's breath got caught in her throat. Stefan… He was there… The old man was right… How was that possible?!

 **…**

Glancing at Caroline's exhausted form, Liz smiled. "Hard day?"

Caroline shrugged in response. Currently it was herself, Dawn and her mother home, but Dawn was sleeping upstairs.

Sighing, Liz frowned. "I didn't see you at the car wash."

Once again, Caroline shrugged. "Left early."

Furrowing her brows together, Liz placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Honey, are you ok? Anything you want to talk about? Is it a boy thing?"

Scoffing bitterly, Caroline shook her head. "Mom, if I want to talk boys, I'll call dad. At least he's successfully dating one."

 **…**

Walking down the cellar stairs, Stefan paused when he noticed the blood on the floor. The trail of blood lead to his nephew's broken body. The cell door was open. Damon had killed him.

"Zach! Oh, no, Zach..."

 **…**

As Vicki inhaled the joint, she frowned when the music from the stereo suddenly shut off. As the group looked around in confusion, they all eyed each other up, each of them not wanting to move to turn the music back on.

"Donovan?"

Scoffing, the brunette shook her head. "No, I'm good."

Immediately, the group began to protest. "Not it. Not it. Not it. Ah, Vicki." They all chorused as Vicki groaned.

Pushing her joint into someone else's hand, Vicki groaned and went to the car where the stereo was. As she went over to the car, Vicki frowned when she noticed a crumpled up stranger, he was coughing and groaning.

Taking a hesitant step forward, Vicki frowned. "Hey, man, you ok?"

Damon didn't look up, instead he motioned for Vicki to come closer. "Come here. Come here."

Taking in his pale skin, the brunette took a small step forward and frowned. "You don't look good."

"Come closer. I have something... That I have to tell you"

Going to his side, Vicki gasped as he practically collapsed on her, making her hold his weight up. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. I got you, I got you. It's ok. it's ok."

Vicki allowed his head to rest in the crook of her neck as she tried to hold him up. However, her struggles were short-lived as he plunged his sharp canines into the smooth skin of her neck.

 **…**

Grabbing a stake, Stefan ran to the door, expecting a vengeful Damon. Instead, he found Elena.

"What are you?"

* * *

 **There are probably so many mistakes in this chapter, and for that, I'm really sorry. I was in a bit of a hurry to get this up. But I do have some good news, I'm really ahead in updates and am currently writing chapter twelve! I'm also working on 'Supernatural' Dean OC fanfiction if anyone is interested. If anyone is interested, i'll end up publishing it.**

 **In response to:**

 **PirateWizardThief: Thank you, plus yeah, Damon is playing with fire! I'll give you a hint in your messages about the second part of your comment ;D. Also, I literally just binge read your Supernatural fanfiction and omg:( Poor Riley! Plus, Sam is being a bit of a dick to her, tbh. Also I'm literally dying in anticipation for 'Surrender' lol. Thanks for the review.**

 **Anna.B: Thanks:) I completely agree, I hated how Damon treated Caroline in season 1 but I don't want to stray from the plot too much. But don't worry, when Dawn finds out Damon has been using Caroline and feeding on her, not even Dean Winchester could save him! Especially with her own anger and her pregnancy hormones ;). Plus, don't worry. Dawn will not date Damon when he is 'seeing' Caroline. Technically he isn't dating Caroline, but even if he was, Dawn wouldn't 'make a move' on him as a) she's never dated anyone or had a crush on anyone so she's pretty clueless and b) she loves Caroline way too much. I'm glad your enjoying all of the descriptions, which I must admit, are my favorite to write! I think a good description ties a story together as personally, I don't want to read a story which is just the script of TVD. I wasn't actually planning on having Abraham appear till later on, but saw an amazing opportunity. The earthquake did come out of nowhere, hmmm, how strange ;D. I have actually decided on the gender of the baby and it will be revealed in chapter ten, I think... Maybe eleven, I cant remember now, lol. I quite like the idea of Klaus and Dawn too. Thanks for the amazing review!**

 **lolobarn: Thanks for the review and I'm glad your enjoying my story!**

 **Kira Tsumi: Thanks for the review!**

 **Audrey: Merci pour ce commentaire !**

 **audra626: I'm glad that your enjoying my story and Dawn! I find most TVD fanfic OC's are immediately confident from the start which I find un-relatable. I love character development, so expect Dawn to become more confident over the seasons! And yeah, Caroline's jealousy is going to get pretty bad, but she'll eventually move onto Matt. I love the Originals, I don't like Finn as he really annoyed me, but I completely agree, Dawn would feel empathy and compassion towards Rebekah, admire Elijah, I think she'd be scared of Kol yet feel bad for him. I love Kai, he's one of my favourite's and hopefully I'll get that far! Her and Kai would be complete opposites lol! Thanks for your review!**

 **Flowerchild23: I'm glad your enjoying it! Thanks for the reviews:)**

 **123456789: Your too kind! I'm glad your liking the story so far. Thanks for your review:)**

 **Mika: I completely agree, I think finding the gender out would be a real booster for everyone really. Thanks for the review!**

 **Gracfully: Thanks for the review!**

 **Vikki: Thanks for the review!**

 **Guest (chapter 7, jul 5): I'm glad your liking the story so far! Thanks for the review!**

 **Ghostlysights: Omg, lol. Thanks for the review!**

 **Guest (chapter 7, jul 4): Thanks! Plus, I don't know yet, I'm up writing chapter twelve and so far it hasn't been revealed. I'm going to wait till Dawn and Damon get closer. Thanks for the review!**

 **BrittStar1199: Thanks for the review!**

 **Somebodywhocares: Thanks for the review!**

 **babypanda468: Thank you! And I completely agree, at the beginning of the series, Damon emotionally and somewhat physically abuses Caroline. And Dawn is not going to forgive that for a while, but so far, Dawn is completely unaware how cruel Damon was/is to Caroline. I didn't want to stray away from the main plot too much, so I stuck to the Damon and Caroline relationship plot. Thanks for the review.**


	9. n i n e

**1X06 Lost girls**

 **Dawn Ellis played by Dianna Agron**

Dragging the dead stoners into a pile, Damon emptied the cheap alcohol onto the mutilated bodies as he carelessly opened his mobile and dialled Stefan's number. As the phone rang, the older brother used his free hand to grab the matches.

"Hello?" As Stefan's voice travelled through the phone, Damon dropped a lit match on the large mountain of bodies. The flames welcomely enveloped the bloodied bodies, charring them black as Damon watched.

Smirking, the blue eyed vampire watched the charred bodies. "I want my ring." Damon demanded bluntly.

Damon could practically hear his brother's anxiety through the phone. After a moment of silence, Stefan spoke up. "Where are you?"

Chuckling, he glanced at the bodies. "I'm at the sizzler. I had the buffet. Where's my ring?"

The younger brother hesitated for a moment. "I don't have it. Where are you? What have you done?"

Gritting his teeth, Damon began to pace. He needed his daylight ring and if he didn't get in soon, he'd paint the town red. And innocent blood would be on Stefan's hands, not his. "No, what have you done? You're the one that locked me in the basement and starved me, so whatever I've done, whoever I've sucked dry is on you, buddy."

"You're being careless. How many more animal attacks, is this town gonna believe, huh?" Stefan replied tensely.

Damon, once again scoffed. Did his baby brother think he was stupid? He knew how to cover his tracks. He had been living for one-hundred and forty-six years! "I know how to cover my tracks, Stefan. Where's my ring?"

"I gave it to Zach to hide. Probably shouldn't have killed him." Stefan bluffed.

His older brother was silent for a moment, before chuckling disbelievingly. What did his baby brother take him for, an idiot? "... Ah, you almost got me. Where is it?"

"I'll get it back, but I need time."

Clenching his jaw, Damon's little patience began to simmer. His brother was really infuriating him now, Damon truly had enough of Stefan's games. "What, did you FedEx it to Rome?! Where is it? I want my ring, Stefan, or my next stop's Dawnie's, then precious Elena's."

Threatening Elena and Dawn was not the way to get on Stefan's good side, but it was a good way to get his daylight ring back. Stefan's blood boiled at the thought. The two girls were innocent and had nothing to do with his own sins. Although he knew Damon was hungry, Stefan was pretty sure his older brother wouldn't hurt Dawn. But then again, even when he was human, Damon had always been impulsive.

"I already want you dead. Don't give me another reason to make it happen." Stefan replied, his voice dangerously low. He couldn't let Damon hurt Dawn or Elena. He wouldn't.

Damon just laughed at his brother's pathetic attempt to threaten him. "Don't give me another reason to rip you apart."

"Yeah? Is that gonna be before or after you get your ring back?" Stefan asked as Damon gritted his teeth.

The older brother really didn't have enough patience for this. Stefan was playing a dangerous game. "Just get it." Damon snapped.

Before Stefan could reply, Damon hung the phone up and shoved it back into the pocket of his leather jacket. As he turned the check the bodies were all burnt, he rolled his eyes when he noticed his first victim laid by the car. Scoffing, Damon smirked when he noticed it was the girl who he had bitten in the woods. Without saying another word, Damon emptied the bottle of alcohol on the girl in preparation for burning her. However, the sound of her grunting and shifting stopped him from pulling the matches out his pocket. Seemed the brunette just wouldn't die.

"You just don't wanna die, do you?" Damon chuckled.

…

To say Stefan's evening had been stressful, would have been a complete and utter understatement. After running after Elena, being kicked out of her house and then finally convincing her to talk to him, Stefan was fatigued, but not only physically, mentally. Not only this, Stefan had to watch out for his brother, his vengeful, hungry brother…

And as much as he hated it, Stefan couldn't be in two places at once. He couldn't protect both Dawn and Elena… But a betting man would put his money on Elena for Damon's victim, so Stefan would protect Elena. After all, Damon felt something towards the blonde. Perhaps it was all a game to him, but he felt something for Dawn, wherever it is amusement or lust, he felt for her. Hopefully that would stop Damon from taking a bite out the blonde.

Despite the fact his brother claimed he had his humanity switch flipped, Stefan wasn't so easily fooled. The younger brother knew Damon had his emotions on. After all, Damon still hated Stefan for his relationship with Katherine, and that was his humanity.

Also, Stefan wasn't sure if Damon would stoop to the level of killing an innocent pregnant girl, right? But then again, that hadn't stopped Damon from killing Gail… Stefan's stomach twisted at the thought. His relationship with Elena was falling apart while Damon pretty much wanted to kill him and the whole town. Perhaps he'd be able to fix his relationship and save the town, but knowing his luck, he'd have to choose between the two; thousands of lifes or a shot a true love. An honorable or a selfish decision. Hopefully it wouldn't have to be made.

The younger brother was cut out of his daydream when Elena shuffled on the spot, crossing her arms over her chest as she stared at Stefan.

Stefan hated how she stared at him with fear in her beautiful doe orbs. "You said you would explain everything. That's why I asked you to meet me here. When you Google 'vampire' you get a world of fiction. What's the reality?" Elena's voice was strong as she tried not to break down. She had to be strong.

Reaching out to gently pry a hand away from her chest, Stefan ran his fingers across the smooth flesh, not missing the way she flinched. "I can tell you whatever you wanna know." Stefan promised as he allowed Elena to ask him questions. He'd tell Elena everything he knew if it would fix their relationship.

 **…**

Rubbing her eyes lazily, Dawn stumbled into the kitchen, her posture hunched as she sleepily turned on the lights, immediately wincing as her pupils dilated. As she got used to the lighting, Dawn failed to notice the open window, which seemed to be letting in a draft. The cold wind caused goosebumps to sprout across Dawn's bare limbs.

Much to Dawn's clothing's dismay, her baby had decided to grow even more, causing her belly to grow, meaning her pyjamas no longer fitted her. So in till the morning, when she'd order a couple of pairs of pyjamas pants and vest-tops, Dawn was stuck wearing the only thing that fitted her; a baby-doll nightgown.

The nightgown had been bought as a gift from Caroline, who had ordered it a couple sizes too big due to the incident with her ordering a size too small. Although the gesture was sweet, Dawn hadn't worn the gown before. It was a little… Revealing. But at that moment, Dawn didn't really have a choice.

So there she was, stood in the kitchen at 1:00AM, wearing a mid-length nightgown. Dawn couldn't deny the prettiness of the gown, but it just wasn't her… The rose nightgown was to be worn by someone with a high level of confidence and a toned, slender body. Yes, Dawn's hips were way to big for the gown and her figure was hardly toned. The only six-pack Dawn's body had ever seen in her life was a six-pack of chocolate bars.

Dawn absent-mindedly ran her fingers across the light material as her bare feet padded against the wooden floor. The baby-doll nighty was made of light, airy cotton, and had an updated fit and extravagant details. Hints of ribbon and a ruffled hem added a playful and delicate touch to the nightgown, along with its open neckline which exposed way too much cleavage for Dawn's liking. With a contrasted eyelet lace trim, satin ribbon details, adjustable straps with front bows and a ruffled lace hem, the dress was beautiful. It just wasn't Dawn.

The blonde could imagine someone as beautiful as Caroline would look at home in the gown, but Dawn thought she looked awkward. Her legs looked short, her hips looked way too big, her waist looked freakishly small, her bump was straining the material and while Dawn's breasts were straining over the material.

Caroline would have looked lovely in the nightgown. It would have suited her banana shaped figure, the one she hated. Dawn's best friend had always hated her figure, but Dawn had always loved Caroline's slim physique. A banana shaped figure was very slim and a classic supermodel-like look. It was a look that was praised by the fashion industry and targeted as 'boyish' by others.

The cheerleader had slim shoulders and hips, a flat belly and small breasts. Caroline had always complained about her figure, but Dawn had always been quick to remind her that Taylor Hill and Miranda Kerr both had this figure.

But Dawn's insecure best friend still hadn't been convinced, Caroline had claimed she wanted Dawn's stupid hourglass figure and Dawn would never know why. Dawn's hips were way too big, her breasts were medium sized and her waist was freakishly tiny.

Even though the gown made her hips look larger and her baby bump ginormous, it did bring out the warmer tones in Dawn's skin and complimented her honey locks.

A small smile found its way onto Dawn's lips as the soft sound of Caroline's snoring broke through the paper thin walls. While Caroline was sleeping, Liz had left to go to work, apparently she got some urgent call about the graveyard, Dawn wasn't entirely sure, but she was sure that it was supposed to be Liz's night off.

As she padded to the fridge, Dawn froze when a floorboard creaked behind her and was followed by a small noise. Turning around, Dawn rolled her eyes when she realized an apple had fallen out the fruit bowl. Making her way over to the newly bruised apple, Dawn missed the figure blurring past her as she struggled to bend over and grab the apple.

"Ugh." Dawn groaned, giving up as she stood up straight. Fine, the apple could stay there.

Turning back to the fridge, Dawn's breath hitched when she noticed someone had moved one of the dining tables chairs behind her. Glancing around the kitchen, Dawn's heartbeat quickened as she shoved the chair aside and looked for a weapon of some sort.

"W-Who's there?"

Dawn cursed herself as she tried to stay focused. Why had she asked the thing that most people in horror movies asked before getting killed?! Okay, maybe Dawn had watched too many horror movies…

Pushing herself against the wall, Dawn jumped when she heard someone walking around. Frowning, Dawn's mind briefly wandered to Caroline. Perhaps it was just her blonde best friend playing a stupid prank. Yes, that was it, right? "Caroline?... Is that you? This isn't funny." Dawn mumbled, taking a step forward.

When she didn't receive a reply, Dawn sighed. However, her concentration was shut down as something blurred in the corner of her eye while one of her plant pot's fell to the floor.

Gasping, Dawn dove to the floor, catching the plant pot before it could smash. Dawn began to cradle to pot as tears ran down her cheeks. "It's okay…" Dawn whispered to the plant as she turned the pot back up and placed it back on the counter.

Just as Dawn put the plant pot back on the counter, an arm wrapped around her waist as another hand covered her mouth, shielding her screams and sobs.

"Ssh, Dawnie."

And with that, the stranger pressed a finger against her neck as she slumped against the counter, unconscious.

 **…**

Frowning, Liz expected the charred bodies on the ground. Faded, white smoke was coming from them, indicating the fire was out. Covering his mouth, Logan tried not to gag at the sight of the teenagers, burnt bodies.

Shaking his head, Logan tried to not let the cornflakes he ate for breakfast, make an appearance. "Never smelled one this bad before."

"It tried to cover its tracks." Liz frowned, inspecting the burnt bodies.

Furrowing his brows together, Logan knelt by the sheriff. "Are you sure?"

The short-haired, blonde nodded. "I'm positive. You only burn a corpse to try to hide cause of death, and there are no shell casings." She replied.

"We know who they are?"

Liz shook her head. "Doc'll have to check their dental records." She admitted. They would have no chance of identifying the burnt corpses, but the teeth would provide the only evidence that could lead them to identifying the victims.

Taking in her words, Logan sighed, not sure on how to adapt and cover up the deaths of the young teens. "What story should it run?"

Rolling her eyes as if it was obvious, Liz frowned. "Drug deal gone bad. It's not too big a stretch."

Nodding, Logan decided to bring up that he had snatched the golden Gilbert watch from Jenna's house. "I got the Gilbert watch."

Liz sighed in relief. "Good."

Before Logan could speak anymore, Liz's deputies arrived, one of them holding a small laminated card which Logan assumed was an ID.

Handing the card to Liz, the deputy frowned. "Found this in the brush about 10 yards away."

All the color drained from Liz's features as she looked at the card that contained a picture of a familiar brunette. "Vicki Donovan." Liz mumbled.

Logan's brows furrowed together. "You know her?"

"I went to high school with her mother."

Glancing back at the burnt bodies, Logan frowned. "Think she's one of these?"

"I hope not."

 **…**

Running his fingers along the hollows of Dawn's cheekbones, Damon gazed down at Dawn with an unfamiliar softness, a softness in which he had once gazed at Katherine with, back in 1864. As Damon peered down at the beauty, he couldn't help but wonder who had hurt her. Physically or mentally, someone had hurt her. She was damaged and part of him, although he'd never admit it, wanted to fix her. Someone as sweet as herself didn't deserve to be broken. Monsters like him were supposed to be broken, not sweet, innocent girls like Dawn.

As she laid in his bed, Damon's gaze travelled down her slender neck as he eyed her pretty body. The blonde had been clad in a saucy nightgown that hugged her curvaceous yet short figure while exposing a decent amount of flesh. Those who claimed a pregnant body was unattractive were clearly stupid. Although Dawn's bump wasn't too prominent in the cotton gown, Damon had always thought there was nothing more beautiful than a pregnant body; a vessel of life. Just like the vampire was the vessel of death. Dawn and her baby were the opposite of him.

Pulling the silk covers over Dawn's fragile, cold body, Damon slowly lifted his hand and hesitantly placed it on her swollen bump. His movements were slow and almost cautious, as if he was afraid of hurting the fragile being in Dawn's stomach.

With a tenderness he hadn't used for a long time, Damon stroked his thumb over the bump. The corners of his lips uplifted slightly as he felt the little baby in Dawn's belly wiggle around. The baby's heartbeat quickened as it shuffled closer to Damon's touch. The 'cold-hearted, humanity-less' vampire's lips curled into a small smile as he felt the baby press it's tiny, developed feet against the palm of his hand.

Although the baby was shuffling around, rather actively if Damon said so himself, Dawn wouldn't be able to feel the baby shifting in her belly in till she was around 16-25 weeks. But Damon couldn't just feel the baby shuffling, he could also hear the loud, rhythmic beat of the baby's heart that synchronized with its mothers.

As Damon continued to absent-mindedly rub his thumb against the baby's shifting body, his guard was soon put back up as another sound came to his ears. A noise that sounded much like Vicki falling off the sofa caused Damon to quickly pull his hand off Dawn's pregnant bump as his guarded expression returned. With hardened eyes, Damon got up and made his way to the door. Just as he was about to walk out, Damon turned to glance at Dawn again.

She was still unconscious. Soft breaths left Dawn's pretty, unconscious lips as her heartbeat continued to harmonize with the small baby's.

Grimacing, Damon turned back to the door and walked out the room without another glance at the sleeping blonde. Closing the door, Damon frowned. He had to focus. He was in Mystic Falls for Katherine, hell, he had only just met Dawn!

As Damon made his way down the stairs, he rolled his eyes when he noticed Vicki had fallen off the couch. The sister of the blonde quarterback had her face pressed against the rug, her arms spread out, while her butt was stuck in the air. Making his way over to the brunette, Damon picked her body up and carelessly threw her back on the couch.

Pulling his phone out from his pocket, Damon dialled his brothers number, only for it to go straight to answer phone. Gritting his teeth, Damon scowled. He was getting impatient. He needed his ring, and he wouldn't think twice about killing Vicki. But Dawn… Would he be able to kill her if need be? Yes, he _had_ to do this, for Katherine… But honestly, Damon didn't know if he would be able to kill Dawn…

"Where are you, Stefan? I'm trapped at the house, and I'm getting really bored and really impatient, and I don't do bored and impatient. Bring me my ring. Damn it." Damon spat before hanging up. Shoving his mobile in his pocket, Damon groaned when the sweet metallic scent of blood hit his nose.

Walking over to the brunette, Damon scowled. "Aw, don't get blood on the couch!" He whined. Damon quite liked the couch; it was very chic. A little old fashioned, but chic nevertheless. It appeared Zach had okay-ish taste. Oops. Zach _used_ to have okay-ish taste.

"Please?" When Vicki didn't answer, Damon rolled his eyes and forcefully grabbed her neck, craning her head back so he could see the dripping, deep wound. "I got you good, didn't I?" Damon mumbled to himself.

Seeing as he was going to be trapped in the boarding house for a day, Damon glanced at his wrist. There was no way he'd allow the girl to ruin his couch. It could have been worth some money! Who knew how old it was? It was probably an antique. "Well, you're not gonna be any fun today. I'm so gonna regret this."

Allowing his fangs to emerge from his gums, Damon savagely bit into his wrist and forced it into Vicki's mouth. The girl's eyes fluttered open as she tried to pry his wrist from her mouth but eventually gave in. Wrapping her hands around his wrist, Vicki's eyes closed as she suckled from Damon's wrist.

Rolling his eyes as Vicki hungrily sucked from his wrist, Damon condescendingly stroked her hair. "Drink up. Drink it up. Don't drip. There you go. Good girl. That's it."

 **…**

Clutching the steering wheel lightly, Elena glanced at Stefan in the corner of her eye as she drove along the rocky roads of the woods. Stefan had wanted to show her something, and despite her confusion, Elena had obliged and agreed to drive them. Although, part of her was slightly suspicious and hoping Stefan wasn't going to murder her and bury her body in the woods! Okay, maybe that was a little too soon, after all, he had just told her he was a vampire.

As Stefan lightly swayed his head to the beat of Taylor Swift, Elena arched a brow as her lips curled into a smile. Stefan was humming the words to Taylor Swift. Biting her lip to prevent the giggle that wanted to emerge, Elena looked back to the road.

" _Do you remember; we were sitting there by the water_?" Stefan hummed quietly, as Elena grinned.

Stefan hadn't noticed Elena as he began bopping his head to the beat, his voice picking up. " _You put your arm around me for the first time._ "

Tapping his feet, Stefan's voice became clearer. " _You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter. You are the best thing that's ever been mine._ " He continued, his eyes closed.

As the car journey went on, it seemed that Stefan was so indulged in Taylor Swift, he forgot that Elena was in the car…

" _Now go stand in the corner and think about what you did_!" Stefan sung loudly, his hands playing invisible drums as the beat picked up. Swinging his head around, Stefan seemed completely oblivious to Elena watching him. His eyes were still closed… " _She came along, got him alone and let's hear the applause. She took him faster than you could say 'sabotage_ '."

" _She underestimated just who she was stealing from_!" Stefan exclaimed, synchronized with Taylor Swift.

" _She's not a saint, and she's not what you think: she's an actress, whoa. She's better known, for the things that she does, on the mattress_."

Stefan began to play the air guitar as Elena covered her sniggers. She thought it was cute. At least it added a little light to the whole 'vampire' situation. Only someone without a soul wouldn't like Taylor Swift, so Elena was safe! " _She looks at me like I'm a trend and she's so over it, I think her ever-present frown is a little troubling. And she thinks I'm psycho 'cause I like to rhyme her name with things_."

" _But sophistication isn't what you wear or who you know, or pushing people down to get you where you wanna go. They wouldn't teach you that in prep school so it's up to me, but no amount of vintage dresses gives you dignity_." Stefan dramatically swung his head to the right.

" _She's not a saint, and she's not what you think: she's an actress, whoa. She's better known, for the things that she does, on the mattress_." Elena cocked a brow as Stefan began to smash his imaginary guitar.

" _I'm just another thing for you to roll your eyes at, honey. You might have him, but I always get the last word"_

" _She's not a saint, and she's not what you think: she's an actress, whoa. She's better known, for the things that she does, on the mattress_.

Leaning forward, Stefan opened his eyes and turned the air-con on so it was blowing his hair as he sung. " _She took him faster than you could say 'sabotage'_."

As the track came to an end, Elena decided to speak up. "So you're a vampire who is a huge fan of Taylor Swift."

Stefan's head snapped in Elena's direction as his lips parted in his shock, his eyes were wide and his cheeks began to flush. "I, uh, forgot you were here…" Stefan mumbled sheepishly, reaching forward and turning the air-con off.

Shaking her head, Elena giggled. "Don't worry, only people without a soul don't like Taylor Swift." Elena winked as Stefan chuckled.

Rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, Stefan met Elena's gaze. "I'd, uh, appreciate if you kept that between us." Stefan mumbled, his cheeks still tinted red as Elena grinned mischievously.

"Your secrets safe with me, Mr Salvatore." Elena replied as Stefan grinned.

"Wouldn't want to ruin my 'big-bad-vampire reputation'." Stefan joked as Elena let out a snort.

As soon as she did, the brunette covered her mouth and nose in embarrassment as she kept one hand on the wheel. "I'd appreciate if you forgot hearing my horrible snort." Elena admitted.

Stefan smiled. "I thought it was cute."

It was now Elena's turn to blush.

Glancing out the window, Stefan placed a hand on Elena's elbow when he realized they had reached their destination. "Stop here."

Furrowing her brows together, Elena noticed they weren't out the woods yet. "What are we doing here?"

It was kind of creepy, Stefan making her drive them out to a remote location in the woods. But then again, Stefan was a Taylor Swift fan, so he couldn't murder her, right? Most of the blonde singer's fan-base was made up of twelve-year-old girls who were just hitting puberty, so Stefan couldn't murder her, right?

Instead of saying anything, Stefan simply unclipped his seatbelt and stepped out the car. Elena followed him automatically. "As much as I enjoyed my Taylor Swift sing-along session, I want to show you something." Stefan said as they approached to pillar like rocks.

As Elena observed the area, she couldn't help but notice it looked like the remains of the building. "In the middle of nowhere?"

A faint smile flooded across Stefan's features as he shook his head. "This... Didn't used to be nowhere. Used to be my home."

Elena's brows furrowed together as she ran a hand over the rough boulders of rocks that had used to be connected to the main gates. "It looks so..."

"Old? It's because they are."

Looking up, Elena's arched a brow. "Wait. How long have you..."

"I've been 17 years old since 1864."

Elena's jaw dropped as she took a minute to process the information. "Oh, my god. So you're a hundred and forty-something-year-old vampire who is a huge fan of Taylor Swift?"

Nodding, Stefan shrugged. "Why can't a seventeen-year-old vampire who is actually supposed to be one-hundred-and-forty-six-year-old man, like Taylor Swift?" Stefan joked as Elena snorted. This time she didn't cover the adorable sound up. "Anyways, you said you wanted to know. I'm not gonna hold anything back. Half a century before the boarding house was even built, this was my family's home. Damon and I... We were both born here. The Salvatore brothers, best friends." Stefan smiled at the memory as they walked where the gates had once stood proud.

Frowning, Elena couldn't control her confusion. Stefan and Damon had known Katherine since 1864, Elena has briefly conversed with Damon after he tried to tell her to dump Stefan. After accepting his apology, she had asked about Katherine and Damon had made it sound as if it was a year ago. Elena found it strange that some were able to move on from losing someone in a relationship after a couple of years, but Damon had been mourning Katherine for one-hundred-and-forty-six-years, that couldn't be healthy.

"You knew Katherine in 1864? Damon made it seem like..." Elena voiced her thoughts.

Stefan frowned as he eyed the rubble that had once been his home. "Damon was trying to make you think that... I was still heartbroken. He saw that I was happy with you, and he wanted to ruin it."

"All because you loved the same women 145 years ago?" Elena asked, disbelief in her voice.

Shaking his head, a faint smile rose on Stefan's features. "She wasn't just any girl"

"She chose me. I escorted her to the ball at the original Lockwood mansion." Stefan continued.

Cogwheels turned in Elena's mind as she thought back to the first registry. "The first founder's party... Where you signed the registry."

Stefan nodded, grimacing. "I didn't care that I had gotten something that my brother wanted. I didn't even care if it hurt him. I only knew that I wanted her."

"So he was upset."

This time Stefan shook his head. "That's the thing about Damon. He doesn't get mad. He just gets even."

 **…**

Upon waking, Dawn was overwhelmed by an agonizing pounding in her head. Lightheaded, dizzy and too slow for the world around her, Dawn slowly reached up to touch her aching head. As her fingers trembled against her soft skin, Dawn tried to remember what had happened. A kaleidoscope of memories came back as Dawn gasped, someone had kidnapped her.

Automatically sitting up with the speed a pregnant woman wouldn't usually muster, Dawn's eyes widened as she looked around the room, her heart beating in a rapid rhythm. A great oak bed that was arrayed in fine, black silk sheets, a large rectangular dresser that was littered with expensive aftershaves and a tall bookshelf which must have easily contained over a hundred books, although Dawn noticed they looked untouched, most covered in a thick layer of dust.

This wasn't Caroline's room. These walls were not the sunshine yellow Caroline's were, there wasn't a tall CD compartment that had millions of boy band albums in and there wasn't the scent of vanilla in the air that Caroline's room always had. This certainly wasn't Caroline's room.

Placing a trembling, nimble hand on her rounded bump, Dawn couldn't prevent the tears that tears sprang to her eyes as realization hit her: she had been kidnapped. Dawn couldn't stop the ugly sobs that were emerging from her lips, all she could do was smother her sobs into a silence with her free hand. Perhaps it was her hormones, perhaps it was just the realization of being kidnapped, but Dawn was emotional, rightfully so.

Shakily wiping the tears away, Dawn peered down at her bump. She had to be strong, not just for herself, but for her baby, for Caroline, for Liz, for Bonnie and Elena. She had to get out.

Pushing the covers of her nighty-clad form, Dawn winced as her feet touched the floor, creaking as she stepped on a floorboard. Glancing around the rather extravagant room, Dawn scanned the room for something that could be used as a makeshift weapon.

Tiptoeing towards the dresser, Dawn's breath hitched in her throat when she noticed something familiar on the dresser. A picture of her… It had been the picture of her and Caroline outside church, and yet someone had torn Caroline off the picture, leaving her alone and vulnerable. Whimpering, Dawn failed to steady her quivering as she quietly searched through the dresser for a weapon of some sort.

Things were getting weirder and weirder, and Dawn was struggling to hold it together. She had been kidnapped, was god knows where and was apparently being stalked…

When she failed to find anything on top of the dresser, Dawn quickly opened the top draw of the dresser. A bottle of… Bourbon? Perfect!

Clutching the bottle in her right hand, Dawn slowly crept towards the door of the bedroom. Placing her ear against the door, Dawn attempted to listen out for any sounds, however, she was met by a startling silence. Glancing down at her bump, Dawn took a deep breath as her body visibly quivered, she could do this…

Placing her hands on the doorknob, Dawn shakily turned it. The blonde sighed in relief when she noticed there was no one in the hall or standing at the door. As the sound of light footsteps echoed around the house, Dawn sighed in relief when she noticed the front door was just by the stairs. Although she should have probably ran for the door, Dawn didn't. After all, she was pregnant.

"Sleeping beauty's awake!"

Dawn let out a piercing scream as Damon appeared in front of her. Chuckling, Damon brushed a strand of blonde out of her face as she took a step back.

"G-Get away from me!"

Hurt crossed Damon's features, but as soon as it was there, it had vanished. "Dawnie-"

"D-Don't call me that! Just let me go and… And I'll not tell! Please!" Dawn begged as Damon frowned.

What reaction did he expect to get; he had kidnapped her!

Taking a step-forward, Damon sighed. "Dawnie-"

Damon was cut off by Dawn smashing the bottle of bourbon in his stomach. As glass shards dug into his stomach, Damon rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Really? That was a good, vintage bottle!" Damon whined as Dawn gasped. He wasn't injured. It was almost like he was wasn't fazed. Wait, he wasn't fazed.

Taking another step back, Dawn trembled, her hands cupping her stomach as Damon frowned. Seeing her tremble at the sight of him wasn't nice. "Dawnie-"

Once again, Damon was cut off by Dawn trying to turn and run away. However, the blonde was met with shock as when she ran and turned, Damon was in front of her.

Screaming again, Dawn couldn't help but let sobs leave her mouth as tears selfishly streamed down her cheeks.

"W-What?"

Damon didn't answer, instead he allowed his true features to emerge.

Her father had been right about demons. They didn't have fierce pointy horns, thick long tails or vibrant red skin, they looked like normal people. They had prominent, dark veins underneath their eyes, sharp, pointy teeth and red, terrifying eyes.

"W-What are you?!" Dawn exclaimed, backing away from Damon as he grinned, showing off his fangs.

"I'm a vampire, Dawnie."

 **…**

Gazing into the fire, Dawn sniffled as she cradled her legs, trembling as she rubbed her bump. Her father had been right; she should have been more careful with trusting. And yet being the fool she was, she had actually liked Damon… The thought that vampires, fictional creatures from novels, were real made shivers run down Dawn's spine. If vampires were real, did that mean that werewolves, witches, the devil were real?

Dawn jumped as Damon draped a blanket around her shoulders. Noticing her fright, Damon put his hands up in mock surrender. "Don't worry, I don't bite." He teased.

The blonde didn't answer, instead she averted her gaze back to the fire as Damon sighed.

Sitting beside Dawn on the carpet, Damon pretended not to notice how she flinched and shifted away from him. "Look, Dawnie. I'm sure you have some questions." Damon motioned for Dawn to speak.

Hesitating, Dawn nervously bit her lower lip. "H-How can you walk around in daylight?" Dawn mumbled, Damon's lips perked up into a smile.

"My ring." Damon replied bluntly as Dawn's gaze went on Damon's hand.

"Does that mean Stefan is a…"

"A vampire, yup." Damon replied simply. "But we're the only ones in Mystic Falls." He reassured her as her tense shoulders relaxed slightly.

When Dawn didn't ask anything else, Damon rolled his eyes playfully. "You're not very good at the whole question thing, are you?"

Dawn hated how her stomach still twisted in excitement when Damon talked. "I-I-I honestly don't know what to ask…" She admitted. It was all a lot to take in.

Nodding, Damon's lips upturned slightly. "Anything, I'm not gonna' hurt you. I would never hurt you." Damon admitted. Although he had been unsure if he would have been able to kill Dawn, Damon knew he wouldn't, not now. The fear in her eyes was enough to make Damon's insides turn.

"C-Can you, uh, eat garlic?" Dawn asked, wrapping the blanket further around her shoulders as Damon smirked.

"Yup. That one is fake." Damon replied as Dawn continued.

"Crucifixes? Do they work. My father always said they drove the demons away." Dawn mumbled.

Damon chuckled. "Even if you stabbed me in the heart with it, it wouldn't keep me away from you, Dawnie." Damon sent Dawn a charming smile as she flushed and frowned.

"Holy water?"

"Drinkable, but it tastes like shit." Damon shrugged as Dawn bit her lower lip.

"What about, uh, mirrors? Can you see yourself in a mirror?" Dawn asked shyly.

"A myth."

"Super speed?"

"True."

"Super strength?"

"True."

Dawn hesitated for a moment. "A-A-And blood?" Dawn asked nervously.

Licking his lips, Damon grinned. "That one's true, Dawnie. My preference is perky little blondes." Dawn shuffled away as Damon snorted.

Grabbing her hand, Damon pulled Dawn back beside him with inhuman strength. Pressing a kiss to the tips of her fingers, Damon chuckled. "Only joking, Dawnie. But I do drink blood, all vampires do except Stefan, who adopted the bunny diet."

Dawn's eye's widened in horror. "He kills bunnies?!"

Once again, Damon snorted. "I kill people, Dawnie. Bunnies are nothing."

Dawn's mouth opened and closed as she was unsure of what to say… Damon was a human killer while Stefan was a bunny killer…

"B-But bunnies…" Dawn mumbled as Damon chuckled.

"So do you… Y'know, feed to survive?" Dawn asked nervously as Damon nodded, still holding Dawn's hand in his as he began to trace patterns along the palm of her hand.

Noticing the way Dawn shivered in fear, Damon frowned. "You don't have to be afraid of me Dawnie. I told you I wouldn't hurt you." Damon replied.

"W-Why should I-I believe you… You're a k-killer." Dawn stuttered as Damon scoffed.

"Ouch, Dawnie."

"It's true though… How many innocents have you killed?"

Damon ground his teeth together. "I already have Saint Stefan on my back, so stop staring at me with those judgy' little eyes if you want to keep on my good side."

Caroline… Dawn narrowed her eyes as she bravely met his eyes. "A-And Caroline? If you're hurting her, I swear… I-I will…. I'll…" Dawn trailed off as Damon chuckled.

"I only nibbled on her a tad." Damon lied, rolling his eyes as Dawn's eyes hardened.

Shaking her head, Dawn frowned. "Stop! Don't you dare touch her! I swear!" Dawn snapped, her eyes flashing. Clearly she was fiercely protective over her blonde bestie.

Damon didn't hide his surprise. "Fine, Dawnie. If it makes you happy, I'll leave blondie alone." Damon promised as Dawn nodded, unaware that Damon had used Caroline for sex and as a blood-bag.

The raven-haired vampire immediately regretted his words as Dawn's hand stiffened. "A-And what about Katherine… Was that real, or were you just trying to trick me?" Dawn asked as Damon frowned.

"That was true. In 1864 I fell in love with Katherine Pierce and in that year, she was locked in a tomb, underneath the church." Damon replied lowly as Dawn's eyes hardened.

Moving her hand out of Damon's, Dawn held his hand and stroked her thumb over the smooth skin. "I'm sorry… Was she a…" Dawn trailed off.

"A vampire, yes." Damon mumbled, concentrating on how Dawn stroked his hand.

Dawn could practically feel her mind protesting. Damon was murder, a kidnapper, and yet there she was, comforting him. She couldn't bring herself to hate Damon, but that didn't mean she wasn't scared of him.

"Does that mean she could be alive, under the church?" Dawn asked softly.

Damon nodded and looked up, his eyes dilating. "Yes. But I need you to keep that between you and me." Damon replied as Dawn nodded and smiled.

"I-I will."

That was when Damon noticed the scent radiating from Dawn. Vervain. She wasn't wearing vervain and yet she promised to keep his secret. Saint Stefan must have slipped some in a bracelet or something, maybe he had spiked her drink at the founder's ball.

"So… What else is there to know about vampires?"

Damon could feel Dawn easing around him. However, she still radiated fear.

"A lot, Dawnie. A lot."

As Damon informed Dawn of compulsion, how a vampire is turned, the healing properties of vampire blood and other functions a vampire possessed, Damon finally decided to brighten the atmosphere up and put some music on. As Damon tried and failed to get Dawn to dance, the two were interrupted as Vicki bounced down the stairs, only wearing a vest-top and pants.

"Vicki?!"

"Hey, Dawn." Vicki then turned to Damon.

Towel drying her wet hair, Vicki grinned at Damon. "Oh, man. That shower was so great. What did you give me?"

Still trying to get Dawn to dance, Damon made eye contact with the brunette, his pupils dilating as he compelled her. "Some blood. You loved it."

Dawn's mouth dropped as Damon tried to spin her around.

Blinking for a moment, Vicki relaxed as she threw the towel on the floor. "I did? Wait. I'm confused. How did we get here?"

Damon's eyes dilated again as Dawn frowned. "We met in the woods. You were drunk. I attacked you. Then I killed all of your friends and brought you here, gave you same blood. You loved it. And now we're gonna party till the sun goes down."

Glancing down at Dawn, the vampire smirked. "Now, where were we?"

Shaking her head, Dawn pushed herself away from Damon. "W-What… What am I doing, talking to you as if you're my friend. You're a murderer…" Dawn mumbled as Damon scowled.

"Dawnie…"

"No! Y-You, you murdered her friends and you act like it's nothing!" Tears brewed in Dawn's eyes as Damon sighed.

Vicki rolled her eyes at Dawn and turned to Damon. "Ok. Um, but first, can I have another hit? That blood was so good."

Deadpanning, Damon pushed her away. "No." There was no way he'd waste any more blood on a puny human like Vicki. Turning to Dawn, Damon placed a hand on her cheek.

"It's okay, Dawnie. It's okay." Damon murmured. He wasn't even trying to compel her, just comfort her.

"N-No, it's not! I'm so stupid, I should have known this was all a game and…" Dawn panted as she sobbed, overwhelmed by feelings as Damon sighed.

"Go back to my bed, okay? Once you've had a bit more rest, we can talk. Hmm?" As much as Dawn wished to tell Damon to go to hell, the idea of sleeping lulled her into a false sense of security.

Damon's bed was the comfiest mattress she'd ever been on. It was like a marshmallow! Nodding exhaustedly, Dawn sighed. "O-Okay."

Before she could turn around, Damon pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead, causing her to flinch. However, this time, Damon knew it wasn't because of him being a vampire, she had flinched because of the contact.

"Sweet dreams, Dawnie."

Without replying, Dawn reluctantly padded up the stairs and went back to the room she had woken up in. As Dawn settled under the covers, Damon turned the music down slightly and poured himself a drink. The brunette would give him some entertainment and then he'd kill her just to make a point to Stefan. He had given her his blood so he could easily turn her into a vampire.

Damon's smirk widened. It was a plan. The girl dancing around in her underwear was completely oblivious.

 **…**

Running her fingers over the cold stone that had once been Stefan's home, Elena frowned as she turned to peer up at the Taylor Swift loving vampire.

Shaking his head, Stefan frowned. "What Damon wants, Damon usually gets. I didn't know it at the time, but... Turns out that night... Katherine was with him, too."

Elena raised a brow as her fingers neglected the cool surface. "So he stole her from you, not the other way around?"

"Turns out she wasn't ours to steal." Stefan replied as his frown deepened at the memory. "She could control my mind; and Damon's. She compelled each of us to keep the secret from the other. She wanted all of us to be together. Forever. Didn't work out that way, but... Damon and I, looks like we're stuck with each other... Like it or not."

Frowning, Elena shook her head, Katherine must have had messed up thinking too want Stefan and Damon together. Before she could reply, Stefan pulled Damon's ring out his pocket.

"Is that Damon's ring?" Elena asked.

Stefan nodded. "I took it from him, but I have to give it back."

With her doe orbs wide and alarmed, Elena frantically shook her head. "No, don't, Stefan. Keep it hidden."

"Elena, if I don't give it to him, he'll retaliate in the only way that he knows he can hurt me." Stefan admitted as Elena frowned.

"And how is that?"

"By hurting you. By killing Dawn. He has Dawn at the boarding house, and although I don't think he'd kill her, I can't risk that."

Elena nodded in agreement, her eyes now wild and frantic. "We have to stop him! Dawn is innocent. How could he hurt someone as sweet as her? And she's pregnant?! Is Damon that bad?"

Grimacing, Stefan nodded. "Yes. He is."

 **…**

Running her fingers along the smooth silk of Damon's black sheets, Dawn frowned as she stared up at the ceiling. How could she feel for Damon still when she knew the truth? He was a murderer, a vampire, a monster. And yet the same fuzzy feeling was in her belly when she was around him.

The thought made her nauseous. He had killed people, drained them of blood and yet she liked him as a friend and as a crush. But this didn't mean she felt safe around him. It didn't mean she'd risk the life of her baby to talk to with him. Truth be told, she was terrified of him, despite the fact he hadn't visually shown her that she should have been afraid.

But the natural predator and prey instinct set in. He was faster, stronger and superior. She was slow, human and pregnant. It was pretty clear who was the predator and who was the prey.

Damon was worse than _him_ , in a way. Damon murderer, but _he_ was a true monster. While Damon hurt others for survival, _he_ hadn't.

Shivering, Dawn pulled the covers up to her chin and closed her eyes, ignoring the massive migraine that was growing. As Dawn began to drift off into safe unconsciousness, Dawn found herself inhaling Damon's scent, and weirdly enough, the scent caused butterflies to flutter in her belly. Did she have Stockholm syndrome?! He was a murdering, vampire, monster!

Frowning, Dawn emptied her mind from all thoughts and fell asleep. Just as Dawn fell asleep, she missed Damon opening the door and looking in the room. Once he was sure Dawn was passed out, Damon walked out and closed the door. Pulling a small key from his pocket, Damon locked the door so Dawn couldn't get out.

She couldn't ruin his plans and Damon most certainly didn't want Dawn to see Vicki having her neck broken.

 **…**

Running a hand through her short, choppy locks, Liz frowned as Mayor Lockwood glowered down at her.

"We're working on it, Mayor Lockwood." Liz sighed as the Mayor scowled.

"Doc ID the bodies?" The Mayor asked as Liz nodded.

Leaning forward, Liz frowned. "A few townies. Notorious druggies."

The Mayor sighed in relief. "I suppose that'll make it easy for people to buy the story. And Vicki Donovan?"

"She's not one of the deceased." Liz informed him.

Furrowing his brows together, the Mayor was beyond confused. "Where the hell is she?"

Liz sighed. "I wish I knew."

Before the Mayor could reply, Logan sauntered up to them, late, as he avoided stepping in mud that would ruin his expensive shoes. Liz shook her head in annoyance as she glanced at the leather shoes. Was he an idiot?

"Sorry I'm late." Logan greeted.

The two didn't reply, instead they rolled their eyes. "You have the watch? It's ready."

As the Mayor held out the compass and set it up, Logan narrowed his eyes at thr .

"That's it?"

"Yes. That's it."

 **…**

Tugging the brush through her platinum locks, Caroline frowned as she wrestled the brush out of her tangled locks. Giving up, Caroline let out an exaggerated huff and placed the brush back on her dressing table.

Glancing at her alarm clock, Caroline frowned. It was morning and the blonde had no idea where Dawn was. Knowing Dawn, she'd probably be at the bookshop. Maybe she was at her one of her new best friend's houses, Bonnie or Elena's. Frowning, Caroline sighed as she pulled a hair band out her draw.

Yes, Dawn probably was with her new best friends. Shrugging the thought off, Caroline began to pull her hair up into a messy bun, without another thought on Dawn.

 **…**

Leaning against Damon, Vicki closed her eyes as their bodies swayed to the slow music. It wasn't like dancing with Dawn. When Damon had danced with Dawn, their bodies had perfectly molded together as Dawn clumsily continued to step on his toes.

As Damon danced with the rather annoying, hyperactive drug addict, Dawn was fast asleep upstairs. Rolling his eyes, Damon blocked out her babbling as she continued to moan about someone named Tyler. The brunette was the most frustrating person Damon had ever met, which was saying a lot as Damon had been alive for one-hundred-and-forty-six years and had met Caroline Forbes. Damon couldn't wait to break the brunette's neck and later on, stake her.

"I am so over Tyler, so over him. I knew from the beginning that I was only a piece of ass to him, but I thought maybe if he got to know me better, he might see something more. But no. Now, Jeremy, on the other hand, that's all he's ever seen in me is something more, and I like that." Vicki continued.

Perking up at the familiar name, Damon glanced down at the brunette. "Jeremy, huh? Elena's brother?"

Vicki nodded, unaware that Damon wasn't even listening to her properly. "Yeah, yeah. So, Elena used to date my brother, and they were always together, so Jeremy would always be hanging around and crushing on me and... Hey, why don't you have a girlfriend? You're, like, totally cool and so hot."

Damon smirked as his ego grew larger, which was barely possible. "I know."

Glancing up at him, Vicki fluttered her lashes absent-mindedly. "Don't you wanna be in love?"

Although he'd never admit it, Damon's thoughts immediately flashed to Dawn and to Katherine. He understood why he thought of Katherine, but why Dawn? Sure, the little blonde was sugary sweet and nice to look at, but Damon didn't hold any feelings towards her, right? Of course he didn't. He was Damon Salvatore. A murdering, savage vampire and the only feelings he had were for his beloved Katherine.

"I've been in love. It's painful and pointless and overrated." Damon lied. The feeling of being wanted and loved was the most precious feeling in the world. And even as a human, Damon had wanted to be loved. His mother had always been distant, his father had seen him as a disappointment and had favored Stefan. All he had craved was love.

Vicki frowned. "Except when it isn't."

Not liking the conversation, Damon gritted his teeth. "No more talking. Let's dance."

It seemed that Vicki's words went in Damon's ear and came the other side as Vicki brought up her mother. "My mom spends most of her time in Virginia Beach with Pete. He drives trucks. I don't remember my dad, but from what I gather, he's not worth remembering."

Damon's lips smirked as his voice turned patronizing. "Your life is so pathetic."

Sniffing, Vicki nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I mean, I'm the screwed-up one. Matt's got it so easy. He's the golden boy. I mean, he's gonna get a football scholarship and marry Elena and have a lawn mower and some babies, and when I think of my future, I just come up blank."

"You are so damaged." Damon replied. It was time.

Nodding in agreement, Vicki looked down. "Yep."

"I mean; you don't have one hint of self-esteem."

It seemed that the girl took no notice in the condescending tone in Damon's voice as she nodded in agreement. "Nope, none."

"I think I know what can help you." Damon mentioned, a dark glint in his eyes as Vicki looked up.

Meeting his eyes, Vicki fluttered her lashes innocently as she furrowed her brows together. "So what's that?"

Damon smirked sinisterly. "Death."

Breaking the girl's neck with brutal force, Vicki had no time to react as Damon carelessly dropped her body to the floor. Stepping over the girl's body, Damon poured himself a drink as he waited for Vicki to wake as a transitioning vampire.

 **…**

Unaware of the situation that was currently happening in the Salvatore boarding house living room, Dawn rolled over on her back as she unconsciously rubbed her bump.

 **…**

As Damon drained the rest of his beloved bourbon, he watched as Vicki's body began twitching. It had been over five minutes and Vicki still hadn't woken up, she was just being dramatic. Rolling his eyes, Damon watched as she sat up, heaving heavily as he scoffed. How melodramatic.

"What happened? We were dancing, and then..." Vicki trailed off, her eyes wide and panicked as Damon rolled his eyes.

Rather bluntly, Damon shrugged before replying. "Then I killed you."

"What?"

"You're dead." Damon clarified casually.

Vicki's eyes widened as she repeated his words. "I'm dead?"

Why was she so dramatic? Rolling his eyes, Damon scoffed. "Yeah, well, let's not make a big deal out of it. You drank my blood, I killed you, and now you have to feed in order to complete the process."

Shaking her head, the brunette frowned as she made her way towards the door. "You're wasted."

Noticing she was making her way towards the door, Damon smirked. "You don't wanna be out there all alone. You're about to get really freaky." He replied half-heartedly.

"Ok, I had a really good time. I just wanna go home." Vicki replied as she tried to push past Damon, who was now standing in her way.

Damon smirked. "You're gonna start craving blood, and until you get it, you're gonna feel very out of it. You have to be careful."

Rolling her eyes, Vicki put her hands on his chest and pushed him with little strength. Damon moved out the way as she frowned. "Come on, move."

"See? You're already starting to fall apart." He teased.

Vicki rolled her eyes. "And I'm going home now."

"Ok, fine. I'm just warning you. Actually, you know what? You should go. In fact, if I were you, I would stop by your boyfriend Jeremy's house." Damon's smirk widened as Vicki bit her lower lip. Perhaps she should go and see Jeremy, they hadn't left it on a good note the following night.

"Yeah, whatever."

"Bye. Tell Elena I said hi and if you see Stefan, tell him to call me."

 **…**

Giving Logan a pointed glance, the blonde sheriff's eyes were determined. "I got Stanley on the Moore street entrance. The rest of us will cover other access points. Call him or call me if that thing goes off. Don't use the radio. Cellphones only." She ordered.

Nodding, Logan confirmed. "Got it."

"You've got 8 rounds. Remember, wood bullets won't kill him, but it'll wound him enough for you to get close and stake him. You sure you can handle this?" Liz continued as Logan scoffed.

"Of course I can." The man insisted as Liz rolled her eyes.

Curiously, Liz arched a brow. "You ever staked a vampire before?"

"Have you?" Logan retorted.

 **…**

Opening his front door, Jeremy sighed in relief when he saw his brunette 'girlfriend' at the door. Opening the door wider, Jeremy noticed how she stepped inside with her sunglasses on.

"Hey. The sun is killing me. My eyes are on fire." Vicki grumbled, not taking her sunglasses off.

Jeremey nodded and closed the door behind her. "Where have you been?"

Smiling at her boyfriend's concern, Vicki let his arms wrap around her waist. "It's good. Everything's good."

Nodding, the two began to kiss as Jeremy captured Vicki's bottom lip between his lips as their noses bumped. Giggling, Vicki nudged his nose with her own as they pulled away.

Sensing something was wrong, Jeremy frowned. "Did something happen?"

Not answering, Vicki was cut off as her stomach rumbled. Frowning, Vicki barged into the Gilbert kitchen as Jeremy followed. "I'm hungry. What do you got to eat?"

As Vicki began to pull out food from the cupboard, Jeremy frowned in realization. "You're high? Vicki, it's the middle of the day."

Covering her ears, Vicki winced. She could hear everything. Cars, planes, footsteps, heartbeats. It hurt. "Could you just not talk so loud? My head, it hurts. I need quiet."

 **…**

Still at the old Salvatore mansion landscape, Elena looked up to meet Stefan's eyes as she frowned. "The mind control... You said Katherine used. Do you ever do that to me?"

Stefan shook his head frantically, his olive eyes boring into her own doe ones as they gazed at each other. "No. That necklace, it contains an herb called vervain. It protects you from being compelled. I wanted to protect you from Damon's influence. But I also wanted to... Protect you from me. Elena, you should never take that necklace off... Because no matter what happens after today, no matter how you feel about me... You'll know that you were free to make your own choice."

 **…**

"Where is she?" Matt demanded, pushing through the Gilbert door as Jeremy lead the older brother to Vicki. Jeremy was beyond worried for Vicki. Although she was usually high, she had never acted like she was now. The brunette was having the munchies, jaw and gum ache, a migraine and her emotions were all over the place. Jeremy had no idea what she had smoked.

"Come this way." Jeremy lead the worried older brother to Vicki as he frowned.

With his blue orbs boring into Jeremy's, Matt frowned in confusion. "What's she on?"

Jeremy shrugged as he frowned. "I... I don't know." Jeremy admitted as Matt nodded and went to stand by his sister who was sitting on the Gilbert couch.

"Hey, Vic. How you doin'?" Matt asked softly, bending down to his sister's gaze.

Shaking her head, Vicki frowned. "Not good, Mattie. I hurt."

"Ok, where's it hurt?" Matt asked, his voice tender as he remembered his sister had a migraine of some sort.

Moving her hands to her jaw, Vicki rubbed her jaw as she moaned. "My gums. My jaw hurts. My gum... There's something in my gums, and it hurts." She whimpered.

Nodding, Matt frowned. "Ok, well..." He trailed off, but was cut off by his sister's frantic voice.

"No. Just leave me alone."

Rubbing her arm, Matt frowned sympathetically. "Come on, Vic. Don't be like that. Let's get you home." He urged.

Vicki wrenched her arm out his grip, shaking her head as she covered her ears. "Just turn it off!"

"Turn what off?" Jeremy asked as Vicki scowled.

"The talking, the chatter, just turn it off."

Glancing around the room, Matt's eyes landed on the TV. It was set on a low volume and barely audible. Matt hadn't even noticed it was on, that was how quiet the TV was.

"... Horribly. Three bodies were found dead in what is believed to be a drug deal gone awry. The bodies have yet to be identified. They were discovered earlier today over at the old Mystic Falls cemetery." The man on television said as Jeremy's eyes widened.

Turning to Vicki, Jeremy frowned. "That's where we were last night."

Matt turned to his sister. "What happened, Vic?" He asked softly.

"... Homicide, and are fast under way looking for suspects. They're asking anyone with information..." The man continued as Matt frowned.

"I'm calling the cops." Matt decided. Liz needed to know that Vick and Jer were at the cemetery. Maybe it would help the police get to the bottom of the situation.

"No. Don't." Vicki ordered as Matt frowned, but said nothing. The blonde teen simply moved his fingers of the large number dials and turned to his sister.

Sitting beside Vicki, Jeremy frowned. "What happened after I left last night, Vick?"

Overwhelmed by feelings, Vicki pushed Jeremy away with a brutal force, causing him to fall on the floor and bang his head. Darting away from the phone, Matt rushed over to Elena's brother.

"Jer, are you ok?"

Nodding, Jeremy accepted Matt's hand as the blonde pulled him back onto his feet. "I'm fine. I'm fine." Jeremy insisted as Matt turned back to his sister with wide eyes.

"Damn, Vick."

Before either Matt or Jeremy could say anything else, Elena and Stefan entered the house and went into the kitchen. Upon seeing all the commotion, Elena arched a confused brow. "What's going on?"

Matt cleared his throat awkwardly. "She's really messed up."

Realization flooded into Stefan as he took a step towards Vicki. She was transitioning into a vampire. It was visibly obvious. "Elena, back up. Vicki, look at me. Focus. You're gonna be fine. Everything's gonna be fine. Guys, take her up to bed. Shut the blinds. She's gonna be ok. Come on. Come on."

Following Stefan's orders silently, Matt and Jeremy lead Vicki up the stairs and took her into Jeremy's room.

As soon as the three were out of sight, Elena turned to Stefan in confusion. "You know what's wrong with her?"

Stefan sighed. "Yeah."

"What is it?"

"She's transitioning." Stefan replied as a dread feeling seeped into Elena's gut.

"Transitioning to what?" Elena asked, although she was pretty sure she knew the answer. But she wanted Stefan to deny it. Vicki Donovan couldn't be a vampire…

"A vampire."

All the air from Elena's lungs vanished as she sharply inhaled. "What?"

Stefan frowned. "Damon must have gotten to her. She's new. She hasn't completed her transformation yet."

"H-how does she do that?" Elena asked curiously.

"She has to feed on human blood." Stefan admitted.

Taking a worried step towards Stefan, Elena frowned. "And what if she doesn't?"

"She'll die. She may only have a few hours." He admitted.

Elena tensed as she looked up to the ceiling. Vicki was upstairs with Matt and Jeremy. With widened eyes, Elena frowned. "She's upstairs with him right now."

"It's ok. She doesn't know what's happening to her yet."

Sighing in relief, Elena nodded. "So when is she gonna know?"

"Right now, she doesn't remember anything. A part of her is still human, but slowly, the deeper she gets into the transition, the memories will start to come back, and then she'll know she has to make the choice."

"The same choice you made?"

 **…**

Tucking Vicki in the bed, Jeremy made sure she was comfy as Vicki frowned. Almost sadly, Vicki shook her head. "I'm sorry I'm so much trouble."

Shaking his head, Jeremy smiled. "Aw, you just... You need to sleep it off, ok?"

Leaning forward, Jeremy wrapped his arms around her waist as she buried her head in the crook of his neck. The addict found herself leaning close to Jeremy's neck as she noticed the way it pulsed. Just as she was about to bite him, she pushed past Jeremy and rushed out the door.

"No." She whimpered as she disappeared.

Matt gasped as he glanced down the hall to find her gone. "Vick. Vicki!" He called out before turning to Jeremy in confusion.

"She was fine, and then she just... She just freaked out." Jeremy explained as Matt nodded and sighed. "I'm gonna go look for her. Call me if you hear anything." Matt told Jeremy before heading down the stairs.

As Matt left, Stefan looked at Elena. "I can track her."

"Go."

 **…**

Answering her cellphone, Liz held to her ear as Logan's name flashed across the screen. "Yeah" She answered as Logan held the compass in his hands, the phone pressed between his shoulder and ear.

"I think I got something. It's pointing towards the old cemetery." He admitted.

"Headed your way." Liz replied before hanging up the phone as she began calling the other members of the council and the deputies who were helping.

 **…**

Drumming his leg against the wooden floor, Jeremy ran a stressed hand through his hair as he frowned. "Maybe we should check in with Matt."

Frowning sadly, Elena placed a hand on her brother's arm. "He'll call when he finds her."

Pushing her hand off his arm, Jeremy's brows furrowed. "Well, what are we supposed to do?" Jeremy snapped.

"We wait. We're supposed to wait." Elena replied softly as Jeremy nodded and sighed.

"I don't know what's wrong with her."

Sending her brother a soft smile, Elena patted his arm. "She'll be fine. It'll all be fine."

Before Jeremy could reply, the doorbell rang. Sighing in relief, Elena swung the door open expecting to see Stefan but instead, Elena saw Damon holding a sleeping Dawn. Dawn had a blanket draped over her as Damon clutched. Glancing at Jeremy behind her, Elena frowned.

"Jeremy, go upstairs." Elena ordered. The teen protested for a moment before going upstairs.

Chuckling, Damon smirked. "You're afraid of me. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess. Stefan finally 'fessed up."

Elena frowned and glanced worriedly at an unconscious Dawn. "Stay away from me."

Mockingly, Damon gasped. "Hey, there's no need to be rude. I'm just dropping Dawnie off and looking for Stefan. May I come in? Oh, wait. Of course I can. I've been invited." Damon pushed past Elena as he went into the Gilbert living room and laid Dawn on the couch. Damon made sure there was a pillow for her head and that she was still covered by a blanket.

"What have you done to her?!" Elena snapped. Although nothing looked physically wrong with her friend, Elena didn't know what Damon had done emotionally to Dawn…

Rolling his eyes, Damon scoffed. "Dawnie's fine. Other than the fact she knows about vampires, she's perfectly fine." Damon replied casually as Elena's eyes widened.

As Damon took an intimidating step forward, Elena stepped back. "We can cut to the chase now if you want. I'm not gonna kill you right now. That wouldn't serve my greater agenda. So... Where's Stefan?" Damon asked as Elena frowned.

"He's out looking for Vicki." She replied tensely with narrowed eyes.

"Don't look at me with those judgy little eyes. Dawnie has already give me them. Plus, girl's gonna thank me for what I did to her." Damon replied.

"Did you thank Katherine?" Elena retorted.

"Mmm. Got the whole life story, huh?"

Elena shrugged. "I got enough."

"Oh, I doubt that. Tell my brother, I'm looking for him. Oh, tip for later, be careful who you invite in the house." Damon teased before walking out the house and slamming the door behind him. Once she was certain Damon was gone, Elena rushed to Dawn's side.

 **…**

As his eyes landed on the brunette, Stefan sighed in relief as he stood in front of the transitioning vampire. "Vicki."

The brunette didn't reply properly, she just sniffed and shook her head. "I'm starting to remember things, what he is, what he said. I remember you. The hospital, the... The rooftop, it's all coming back."

As Vicki wiped her eyes, Stefan frowned. "I'm so sorry. Damon had no right to do this to you."

"He said that I need to feed. What will happen if I don't?" Vicki asked quietly.

Visibly wincing, Stefan sighed. "You'll fade quickly... And then it'll all just be over."

Shaking her head, Vicki let out a loud sob. "I'll be dead." She realized.

Stefan grimaced, but placed a hand tenderly on his shoulder. "Hey."

"I don't want this." Vicki cried.

"I know. It'll be ok. You're gonna be ok. I can help you." Stefan promised.

Taking a small step forward, Vicki wiped her eyes. "Is it better? Is it better? Will I be better? I wanna go home. Will you take me home?"

Stefan smiled, but it came out a grimace. "Ok."

Before Stefan could take Vicki home, a loud gun went off. Vicki screamed as Stefan fell to the floor, revealing Logan Fell.

Wooden bullets. They knew about vampires.

"No!" Vicki protested as Logan went to shoot Stefan again.

Before the news anchor could let another bullet pierce Stefan's skin, Damon appeared from behind the founding family member. Damon savagely bit Logan before letting him fall to the floor in a pile.

Stefan let out a low moan as Damon kneeled beside him and yanked the bullet out his chest. It seemed his brother wasn't trying to be gentle.

"It's wood. They know. If anyone's gonna kill you, it's gonna be me. My ring." Damon demanded, flicking the bullet away as the two brothers failed to notice Vicki licking the blood from Logan's wound.

As Stefan was about to reply to his brother, he stopped when he noticed Vicki licking the blood from Logan's neck. "No! No! Vicki!"

The brunette looked up, her face smeared with blood as tears welled in her eyes. "I'm sorry."

Vicki then zoomed away as Damon smirked.

"Oops." Damon smirked, but turned when he saw something shimmer from the corner of his eye. Damon raised his brow when he noticed the Gilbert compass, picking up the compass, Damon slipped it in his pocket.

 **…**

Leaning over Logan's bloody corpse, Liz blinked the tears away as she covered her mouth. Turning to the deputies, Liz gasped when she noticed the compass was missing. "Oh god... The watch. Find the watch."

 **…**

Drumming her fingernails against her legs, Elena frowned as she waited for Stefan. She couldn't do it. Elena couldn't be with Stefan; it was too much! But that didn't mean she wouldn't keep his secret.

Elena jumped when she noticed Stefan limping towards the house. Frowning, Elena eyed him in concern as he left a red trail behind him. "You're bleeding."

Shaking his head, Stefan made his way up the porch, wincing with every move. "No, it's ok. It's ok. I'm ok." Stefan lied. He was hurting more than a vampire should have been, but at least he'd heal, slowly, but he'd still heal.

"I couldn't stop her. I tried." Stefan admitted, frowning.

Furrowing her brows in confusion, Elena took a step forward towards Stefan. "What does that mean?"

Stefan hung his head in shame as he frowned. "She fled, and then I lost her."

"Oh, my god." Elena gasped as Stefan ran a stressed, bloodied hand through his locks, not caring that he was staining his dark blonde hair.

Sighing, Stefan frowned. "I'll take care of it. I'll find her, and I will show her that she can live like I do. I will make sure that she does not hurt anybody, Elena. I promise you."

"What do I tell my brother and... And Matt?" Elena mumbled.

Stefan sighed. "We'll come up with a story."

Furrowing her brows together, Elena stepped towards her front door. "You mean we'll come up with a lie."

"I'm so sorry." Stefan grimaced.

Elena sighed and met Stefan's eyes, her own eyes watering. "I gave you today just like you asked. And I understand that you would never do anything to hurt me, and I promise I will keep your secret, but... I can't be with you, Stefan. I'm sorry. I... I just can't..."

Before Stefan could reply, she walked in the house and closed the door behind her. As the front door closed, Elena collapsed to the floor in sobs.

* * *

 **Hi guys! My supernatural fanfiction should be up in a week or so, I'm just getting a cover made and need to pre-write a couple more chapters. Also, the sex of the baby will be revealed in chapter eleven. Sorry about any mistakes, sometimes I'm so lazy when editing. Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and please remember to review!:)**

 **In response to:**

 **PirateWizardThief: Thanks! Believe me, Dawn is going to have a lot to worry about! Especially after this chapter, lol. It means a lot when you review, so thank you so much!**

 **BrittStar1199: Aw, that's too sweet! Not a witch, but it what Dawn is will intertwine with witches. I ship Bamon a little, but my main TVD ships are Stefan and Caroline, Stefan and Katherine (I love Katherine! When Elijah didn't come when she was dying really pissed me off), Alaric and Jenna (I hate Alaric and Caroline together), Damon and Elena and that's all I can think of lol. Daddy Damon is going to be so protective! I'm glad you're enjoying my story, thank you for the lovely review:) xx**

 **Gracfully: Dawn stood up for herself. Thanks for the review!**

 **Guest (Jul 11): I completely agree! It will take a long, long while for Dawn to forgive Damon, but his treatment of Caroline will not come out till season 2. Damon was pretty horrible in season 1, but by the end of the season, he got much better. Thanks for the review!**

 **123456789: Aw, that's so sweet! I'm glad you're enjoying your journey with Dawn so far! I won't abandon the story, I promise. Thanks for the lovely review!**

 **Kim: I completely agree! I cannot stand when people update and it consists of 300 hundred words. I also find I don't really like when authors update daily with short chapters. I have found that updating once a week with a large amount of text is the best way to keep the readers hooked but not bored. Sometimes I can't keep up with stories who update daily, yet I hate when stories update once a month with the same amount I write. I always make sure I write over 6,000 words as a minimum, but I usually end up with around 9,000- 10,000 words excluding the authors note. Finding out about witches, vampires and everything else will be one hell of a whirlwind for Dawn! That's a good and clever guess, but Dawnie is not an angel ;). It's sort of similar to an angel, in a way. Thank you for the lovely, long and detailed review!**

 **Flowerchild23: I'm glad you're living the story so far! Thank you for all your reviews!**

 **Adela: That's a really good idea! Thanks for that and reviewing!**

 **Choco-latte64:**

 **Natalie: That's really sweet! Don't worry about Klaus and Dawn, it is central Damon OC, but there may be a little Klaus/OC in the future, but only minor flirting. And daddy Damon is going to be a force not to be reckoned with! It didn't show up, I noticed was playing up for a couple of weeks with reviews, but its fine now. Gabriel (Dawn's father) is a dick and is actually like how Giuseppe was with Damon now that I think about it. One of your reviews was correct on what Dawn is, but I'm not going to point it out;). It will be confirmed what Dawn is in chapter 12. Thanks for reviewing!**

 **SomebodyWhoCares: Haha! And it is Damon ;D. Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Can'tbeinjust1Fandom: Hi:), I'm sorry about that. I try and use pronouns as much as possible, but sometimes if I start the sentence with 'Brushing her hair, she couldn't help but ponder about him' it may confuse people a little. I have found that writing in first person, you use 'I' too much, while third person, you use names too much. Thanks for the advice, I'll try and add more pronouns in where I can:). Thanks for reviewing!**


	10. t e n

**This chapter may be triggering for some readers. Also, before people jump to conclusions, please read to the very end of the chapter!**

* * *

 **1X07 Haunted**

 **Dawn Ellis played by Dianna Agron**

"Dawnie… Dawn… Hey, wake up."

Fluttering her hazel eyes open, Dawn squinted in confusion when she noticed Elena looming over her. Dawn's confusion quickly disintegrated when she saw the fresh tear tracks that tarnished Elena's flawless skin. Sitting up, Dawn blinked, disorientated as she looked around briefly. She was no longer in Damon's bed. Oh god… She wasn't going to have a Dorothy moment, was she?

"V-Vampire." Dawn mumbled as Elena's eyes widened.

"You know?" Elena asked, her doe orbs rimmed red.

Dawn shivered as she nodded and pulled the blanket further around her shoulders. "D-Did you know?" Dawn asked quietly as Elena frantically shook her head.

"No! Stefan just told me!" Elena protested.

For a moment, Dawn tried to contemplate the whole situation. Nodding, Dawn wrapped her arms around her body. "I-I don't know what to believe anymore." Dawn admitted, her eyes watering.

If vampires and witches were real, was God? Was the devil? Or was it all folklore, a tale told to keep children in line. Dawn wasn't sure anymore… And if God was real, why would he create creatures who lurked in the dark, creatures who fed on innocents? But then again, why did God create bad people? Rapists, murders and criminals, all children of God, and yet most of them escaped justice, why? Dawn snorted at the thought, _he_ had escaped justice.

Now that she thought about it, Dawn's mind spun. God had allowed a lot of terrible things to happen to her, why? Her mother's death, Shelia's marriage to her father, years of _him_ and being kicked out. Why? What had she done wrong? Granted, Dawn was no angel, she had sinned, but she was no devil either…

"I know… I know…" Elena soothed, her voice cracking as she brought Dawn into a hug.

Almost as if Dawn could sense she was close to tears, she rubbed Elena's back comfortingly. Elena was soothed by Dawn's presence alone as she let everything out. The death of her parents, their funeral, her breakup and Stefan. All the feelings she had been withholding came barrelling out.

"It's okay, Elena." Dawn whispered as she clutched the sobbing brunette.

 **…**

With a swagger in his step, Tyler walked over to his rather expensive car, his phone pressed between his shoulder and ear as he bided his goodbye and hung up. Shoving the phone into his pocket, Tyler unlocked his car and climbed into his car.

As he pulled the seatbelt across his body, Tyler failed to notice Vicki in the back seat, her eyes tear stained. Just as the belt clicked in the holder, Tyler jumped at the sound of her croaky voice.

"Hi, Ty."

Placing a hand on his heart, Tyler stared at Vicki with shock. "Whoa, Vicki? Everyone's looking for you!"

Nodding, Vicki wiped her eyes and shook her head. "I know."

Furrowing his brows together, Tyler unclipped the belt and turned, so he was now facing the brunette. "What's wrong, Vick?"

Shivering, Vicki frowned. She was cold, but not on the outside. On the inside. "I'm so cold." Vicki admitted.

Tyler scoffed and rolled his eyes. "You're on drugs!? Everyone thinks you're off on a bender."

Lowering her voice, Vicki let out another sniff. "I wish."

"What happened in those woods, Vicki? Those kids that were killed. What did you see?" Tyler asked, placing his hand on her arm as she shook her head.

"I'm so scared."

Pulling Vicki into his arms, Tyler sighed. "Come here. It's okay. I'll take you home."

Vicki shook her head and tried to pull from his tight embrace. "I can't control it."

Furrowing his brows together in confusion, Tyler moved so he could look her in the eye. "Control what?"

Vicki whimpered as she eyed Tyler's pulsing neck artery. "I am so hungry, Ty. And it won't go away."

"What are you on? What drugs did you take?" Tyler asked, running a hand through her tangled brown locks in an attempt to comfort the sister of his best friend.

Gently pulling her by the hair, Tyler made her look up at him as she whimpered and kept her eyes trained on his neck. "I want it. I am so hungry, Ty."

Nodding, Tyler let go of her hair. "Okay, look, I'll get you something to eat. Just sit back. Look, let's just get you home, okay?"

Pulling her close, Tyler furrowed his brows together in surprise as she began to lick his neck. "Whoa! Vicki! What is wrong with you?!"

Letting the fangs unleash from her gums, Vicki snarled. Just as she was about to bite into the smooth flesh of Tyler Lockwood, Stefan opened the car door and pulled her off the squirming football player.

Vicki protested as Tyler stumbled out the car and backed away. As the newly turned vampire continued to struggle against Stefan, who was restraining her, Damon appeared behind Tyler.

With widened eyes, adrenaline pumped through Tyler's veins as he stared at Stefan. "What's going on here, Stefan? What's wrong with her?"

Before Stefan could answer, Damon cut in. "You don't talk."

Spinning to face the older brother, Tyler began to square up to Damon.

"Screw you, dude." Tyler snapped, his werewolf temper boiling as Damon scoffed.

"'Dude'? Really? 'Dude'?" Damon mocked sarcastically.

Tyler's nostrils flared in anger as Stefan gave his brother a pleading look while continuing to restrain Vicki. "Damon, don't!"

Turning to face his brother, Damon eyed Tyler distastefully. "Oh come on. Who's gonna miss this idiot?" He groaned.

As Damon turned back to face him, Tyler balled his fists. With all the strength he could muster, Tyler slammed his fist into Damon's jaw. He had hit the vampire with so much force, Tyler's hand throbbed. Gritting his teeth, Damon scowled. Although the punch hadn't hurt him like it would a normal human, Damon was still pissed. When he noticed Damon wasn't fazed by the punch, Tyler's eyes widened.

"Ooh! Don't you hurt him." Vicki cried as Damon took a step forward towards the football star.

Grabbing Tyler by the throat, Damon's orbs dilated. "Forget what you saw here tonight. None of us were here." Damon compelled before lazily tossing Tyler across the parking lot.

Groaning, Tyler stood up confused as he walked back to the parking lot only to find it empty.

 **…**

With her hands behind her head, Dawn nibbled her lower lip as quiet sniffles came from beside her. Turning on her side, Dawn frowned sadly when she noticed Elena had begun crying again. Apparently she had broken up with Stefan. But Elena wasn't the only ones with problems, Dawn didn't know how to feel about Damon. He had turned Vicki into a vampire, Vicki hadn't wanted this, and yet he didn't care. It seemed that both her own and Elena's feelings were all over the place.

Almost hesitantly, Dawn placed her hand in Elena's and gave her a gentle smile.

For a moment, no words were exchanged. Elena squeezed Dawn's hand as she blinked away her tears. "Y-you know Caroline's going to be pissed…" Elena trailed off as Dawn smiled.

"She'll be fine. I'm not leaving you like this." Dawn replied firmly.

There was no chance Dawn would leave Elena upset. Dawn wouldn't have even left a stranger alone crying. Maybe it was just the type of person she was, but Dawn couldn't stand people upset, it made her feel sad.

Elena smiled. "Thanks, Dawn."

In response, Dawn smiled. "Would it make you feel a little better if I told you I'm going to have my scan in a couple of weeks?" Dawn asked, causing Elena to immediately perk up.

With her doe orbs wide, Elena's lips parted. "Are you going to find out the gender?!" Elena asked, wiping her face with the sleeves of her shirt as Dawn smiled.

"Mmm-hmm."

Elena hesitantly moved a hand towards Dawn's belly. "May I?" Elena asked sheepishly as Dawn smiled softly.

"Of course."

With Dawn's permission, Elena placed a hand on Dawn's bump. As bare skin touched her belly, Dawn jumped, her pulse rising as she closed her eyes and tried to relax. Elena took no notice of Dawn's discomfort as she ran her fingertips across Dawn's swollen abdomen.

"Do you think there's a little boy or a little girl in there?" Elena asked as Dawn raised a brow.

"I don't really know."

Elena huffed as Dawn raised a brow suspiciously.

"Why?"

Elena blushed and grinned sheepishly. "Caroline has set up a baby gender pool." Elena admitted.

Not knowing what Elena meant, Dawn arched a brow. "And that is…." She trailed off.

"Were all betting on the gender…" Elena admitted as Dawn snorted.

"Who's 'all'?" Dawn asked.

Once again, Elena blushed. "Me, Caroline, Bonnie, Matt, Liz, Jenna and Bonnie's grams." Elena admitted as Dawn shook her head, a smile on her face.

"I haven't ever met Bonnie's grams." Dawn mumbled as Elena shrugged.

"Bonnie's grams loves a good bet." Elena replied.

Shaking her head, Dawn smiled. "Where do I get involved?"

Elena let out a loud, infectious giggle.

 **...**

Glancing at her mobile, Caroline frowned as she leaned back in her bed. Apparently Dawn was staying at Elena's, of course... Okay, so maybe her jealousy was increasing, but they were stealing Dawn!

Huffing, Caroline pulled the covers over her slim form. Caroline wasn't sure how long she'd be able to take her jealousy. She knew eventually she'd explode, and that terrified Caroline…

Turning over on her side, the blonde switched her bedside lamp off and closed her eyes. As Caroline began to drift to sleep, she couldn't ignore the loneliness in her gut.

 **…**

Mumbling to herself, Dawn stumbled to the bathroom, her eyes half closed and her arms pointed out in front of her. It was 5:30 in the morning, so Dawn was pretty much a walking zombie. Walking into the bathroom, Dawn flicked the light on, mindlessly pulled the pajama shorts down and sat on the toilet.

As she rubbed her eyes, Dawn failed to notice the brownie-red blood spotting on her underwear. After doing her business, Dawn flushed the toilet and washed her hands.

Staggering back to Elena's comfy bed, Dawn sighed, crawling in besides Elena's unconscious body. The brunette's beautiful features were stained with tears, causing Dawn to frown. Hers and Stefan's breakup had really affected her…

Frowning, Dawn ignored the cramping feeling in her stomach and closed her eyes. Without another thought to the pain in her belly, Dawn closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift to sleep.

 **…**

"I have to Elena…" Dawn trailed off. It was now 9:00AM, and although Dawn was no longer feeling cramps in her belly, Dawn was having bad back ache, something she put down to her hunched posture. Her sore feet and big belly now caused Dawn to waddle slightly.

Shaking her head frantically, Elena looked up from the large olive sweater she was holding. "What if… What if he hurts you? What if Damon hurts you?" Elena frowned, her big doe orbs full with concern.

Gently accepting the sweater, Dawn timidly turned around and pulled her top off. Elena had been kind enough to lend Dawn some clothes for the night and for the next day.

As Dawn's bare back faced her, Elena raised a brow when she noticed the puckered scar that marked her side. Dawn frantically waved her arms in the air as she slid the sweater down her upper body, not noticing Elena eyeing the scar on her side.

Furrowing her brows together, Elena decided not to ask about the red scar. But that didn't mean she didn't wonder when and why she had the scar.

Turning back round, the olive sweater now snugly fitted around her bump. With the sweater, Dawn was wearing a pair of black, high waisted shorts. Dawn wasn't sure her baby appreciated being squeezed into the tiny shorts, but they would have to do. Anyways, it's not like her baby could complain.

"I'll be okay." Dawn promised gently, pulling the olive sweater loosely around her bump.

Seeing the concern in her eyes, Dawn gave Elena a small smile. "Don't worry, Elena. Look, if I'm not back in twenty minutes, you can come and get me." Dawn compromised as Elena nodded.

"Okay."

 **…**

As the Salvatore Boarding house door swung open, Dawn blushed as Damon leaned against the doorframe, a smirk on his handsome features while he stared at the petite, pregnant blonde. As Damon's azure eyes gazed into her own, Dawn couldn't help but shiver in fear. He had the eyes of a killer.

"Dawnie."

Just as Dawn was about to reply, a pain that started on the left side of her belly and travelled to the right, cut her words off. Frowning, Dawn winced.

"You okay?" Damon asked, arching a brow as Dawn weakly nodded.

"Mmhhm."

Shuffling on the spot, Dawn flushed pink when Damon's eyes travelled up her figure. The black shorts hugged her backside while showing off her shapely legs. She looked tasty. Damon barely noticed the bunch of flowers in her hands.

"They for me? Dawnie, you shouldn't have."

"I didn't." Dawn mumbled, holding the bouquet of roses, lilies and white sprays to her chest. Damon snorted in amusement.

Hesitating, Dawn didn't know what to say as her lips parted. No words left Dawn's full lips as Damon continued to eye her legs.

Furrowing his brows together, Damon frowned. "What's up with you?"

Dawn just frowned. "Is Vicki still here?"

Realization flooded over Damon as he nodded. "Ooh. I get it, you're mad."

"You mean about you killing Vicki, no, not at all." Dawn snapped.

Surprised by her outburst, Damon's smirk spread across his lips. "Aren't you a little firecracker today."

Dawn scoffed as Damon arched a brow. "Or is that because of, y'know…" Damon's eyes drifted to Dawn's bump.

The vampire immediately regretted the comment when Dawn covered her belly, a frown on her face. Opening the door wider, Damon waited for Dawn to walk in.

Not catching his drift, Dawn patiently waited for Damon to invite her in. "You coming in?"

Blushing, Dawn walked in the boarding house, a shiver running down her spine as she passed Damon. It was still hard to believe that he was a vampire. He was dead. He had been alive in the 1800's. The thought made Dawn's head spin.

"S-Sorry."

Damon just gave her a small, almost gentle smile before leading her up the stairs. The smile was gone as quick as it came as the raven haired vampire lead her to Stefan's bedroom.

"I don't understand why I have to stay cooped up here. Why can't I just go home?" Vicki's voice came from the room at the end of the corridor as Damon lead her down the hall.

"Because you're changing, Vicki, and it's not something you wanna do alone." Stefan's voice sounded frustrated as Dawn and Damon entered the room.

While Damon went back to lounging on the armchair and picked up the newspaper on Stefan's desk, Dawn stood awkwardly at the door.

"Dawn… You shouldn't be here." Stefan admitted, glancing warily at Vicki, who eyed Dawn as if she was a giant vanilla cupcake.

Hesitating, Dawn shuffled her feet as she nervously clutched the rather large bouquet. "I brought some flowers for Vicki." Dawn mumbled as Vicki smiled.

Glancing up from the newspaper, Damon sent Dawn a handsome smirk. "Did they have any 'I'm sorry your dead' gift cards to go with them?" Damon teased.

Stefan rolled his eyes and glanced at his brother. Stefan didn't like the way Dawn looked at Damon, nor the way Damon looked at Dawn.

"N-No, but there was, uh, 'with deepest sympathy'…" Dawn admitted, plucking the card from the flowers as Damon snorted.

Placing the newspaper back on the desk, Damon gently took the card from Dawn and raised a brow. "' _With deepest sympathy, thinking of you at this difficult time'_ " Damon read out, smirking as Dawn flushed and pulled the card out of Damon's grip.

Walking over to Vicki, Dawn passed her the bunch of pastel flowers along with the card. Rolling his eyes as Vicki thanked Dawn, Damon resumed flicking through the paper, skimming the paper for Logan Fells' name. When he found nothing, Damon's brows furrowed together.

"There's nothin' about that Logan guy I killed in here. Not a word. Someone's covering it up." Damon complained, throwing the paper down as Dawn winced. Damon talked about killing as if it was a normal thing. As if it was normal that he had killed Logan… Poor Logan had family, he had a career and friends… Damon had taken that from him. And yet she couldn't make herself hate him.

Sighing, Damon picked up the golden Gilbert watch.

Raising a brow, Dawn cleared her throat. "What is that?" Dawn wondered aloud. Wincing, Dawn realized how nosy she sounded. "S-Sorry." Dawn apologized sheepishly.

Damon gave her a slight smirk. "Nothing wrong with being curious, Dawnie." Damon motioned for Dawn to come closer.

Almost hesitantly, Dawn stood by Damon's side as he placed his spare hand under hers. Controlling their hands, Damon moved their fingers along the swirls on the compass, all while enjoying the flush on her cheeks. Dawn didn't pull away as she felt electricity bolts pulse through her fingers.

Dawn had always thought the whole 'sparks and fireworks' was something that happened in movies. Something that didn't happen in real life. But as hers and Damon's fingers ran across the vintage compass, Dawn couldn't deny the tingling feelings within her fingertips. She was either experiencing movie like sparks or she was actually being electrocuted somehow by the device. Dawn concluded it was most likely her being electrocuted, that seemed more like her luck.

"This, Dawnie, is a _very_ special, very old compass. Logan Fell had it with him." Damon admitted, letting go of Dawn's fingers as she flushed and pulled her hands away from his.

The compass was a Gilbert device, meaning it had probably been spelled by Emily Bennett. After all, none of Jonathan Gilbert's devices worked. He wasn't a very good inventor…

Glancing at the compass once more, Damon put in his pockets as he looked at Stefan. "What was Logan Fell doing with it? Aren't you curious?"

"Well, if you're so worried that somebody's onto you, why don't you just leave town, Damon?" Stefan retorted as Dawn nervously bit her lip.

"Y-You're not going to leave, are you?" Dawn asked, frowning as Damon smiled. Standing, Damon ran his fingers across the hollows of Dawn's cheeks.

"I'm not going anywhere, Dawnie. Don't worry." Damon replied, a smirk on his features as he glanced at Stefan, who was frowning.

Dawn wasn't sure what was happening to her. She knew Damon was a murderer, a monster, and yet her feelings for him were still there. What was wrong with her? He was a murder? It felt so wrong, but so right.

"And anyways, Stef, we should all be worried." Damon replied, glancing at Vicki, who was hungrily eyeing Dawn.

Clearing her throat, Vicki eyed Dawn. "Hey, um, I'm hungry. Do you have anything to eat?"

Gulping, Dawn immediately stepped behind Damon, who simply chuckled and wrapped an arm around Dawn's waist. The blonde immediately shuffled out of his grip, but stood behind him nevertheless.

Frowning at Dawn, Stefan grabbed the mug of blood and passed it to Vicki. "Here."

Looking down at the mug in distaste, Vicki turned her nose up. "What is it?"

"It's what you're craving." Stefan replied simply, despite the fact he knew it wasn't animal blood Vicki was craving. She was craving blood straight from the vein.

Scoffing, Damon watched as Vicki took a small sip. Her brows furrowed at the taste. "Don't lie to the girl. It's so not what you're craving, but it'll do in a pinch, right, Stef?" Damon mocked as Vicki clutched the deer blood.

"What is it?" Vicki asked.

Damon's smirk widened. "Yeah, what is it? Is it a skunk? Saint Bernard? Bambi?"

With widened orbs, Dawn was snapped out of her daydream. "Bambi?!"

Sending her a smirk, Damon chuckled as she paled. Stefan gave his brother a glare. "Go on. Give it a try."

Images of Stefan pouncing on a deer flashed through her mind, followed by images of Stefan tearing into the poor deer's stomach before pouring its blood into a small container. Dawn paled as a surge of pain hit her gut, as Vicki took another sip of the blood.

Dawn silently gripped her belly as she took a step back. "She's new. She needs people blood. She can't sustain on that stuff." Damon replied as Vicki pouted.

"Yeah, why can't I have people blood?"

"Yeah." Damon whined mockingly, a smirk on his lips.

Stefan sighed. "Because it's wrong to pray on innocent people, Vicki."

The three vampires failed to notice Dawn clutching the wall, her legs barely holding her as she silently whimpered in pain. "You don't have to kill to feed. Just find someone really tasty and then erase their memory afterwards. It's so easy."

"No, no, no. There's no guarantee that you can control yourself, okay? It takes years to learn that. You could easily kill somebody, and then you have to carry that with you for the rest of your life, which, if I haven't made clear, is eternity."

"Don't listen to him. He walks on a moral plane way out of our eye line. I say snatch, eat, erase." Damon replied.

Still, none of them noticed Dawn's legs beginning to give out as they focused on Vicki.

"Hey, look at me. We choose our own path. Our values and our actions, they define who we are." Stefan replied as Damon rolled his eyes.

"Okay, count Deepak. I am outta' here." Damon scoffed.

Looking between the two, Vicki's eyes lit up hopefully. "Can I have some more?"

Clutching her belly, Dawn gasped, causing Vicki, Stefan and Damon to turn to her, putting aside the squabbling at the sight of the pregnant woman.

"Ooow!" Dawn whimpered as Damon and Stefan rushed to her side, letting out a loud sob.

Placing an arm around her waist, Damon pulled Dawn close to his side. Dawn was hurting too much to protest. "Hey, Dawnie. What hurts?" Damon gently cooed as Dawn whimpered.

"M-My stomach." Dawn sobbed.

Placing her hand on her thigh, Dawn sobbed as a metallic liquid coated her hand. Stefan immediately pulled Vicki away from Dawn, restraining her just in case.

"I'm just gonna have a look at your thighs, Dawnie. I'm not gonna touch you, is that okay?" Damon asked Dawn.

Dawn was relieved that he had actually asked and weakly nodded. Although she wasn't comfortable with him touching her thighs, maybe he would realize what was happening.

"Okay…"

Slowly, Damon nudged the dark denim shorts to the side, his brows furrowing when he noticed the dark blood that was dripping down her thighs. Blood wasn't gushing out, but it was enough for it to be alarming.

Exchanging glances with Stefan, Damon frowned. "I'll take her to the hospital. Check everything's okay."

Stefan's brows raised in surprise, but he didn't say anything as Damon lead the girl down the stairs. Stefan hoped everything was okay with the baby. At the end of the day, although Dawn was in her second trimester, she was still a young mother and could easily miscarry. After all, she was experiencing a lot of stress and working way more than she should have.

As Dawn got to the bottom of the stairs, Dawn's legs gave out. The blonde almost fell the floor, but was caught by Damon. Letting out a sob, Dawn clung to Damon's jacket as he picked her up in a bridal style embrace.

"It's okay." Damon cooed, opening the door with his foot.

As the door opened, Damon immediately was met with Elena. Elena failed to hide her surprise and worry when she saw Dawn sobbing, clinging to Damon, blood on hers and his hands.

"Dawnie?! Is she okay?"

Damon scoffed, walking past Elena. Opening his car door, Damon gently placed Dawn in the passenger seat, buckling her in. "One minute, Dawnie. Hang in there." Damon cooed, closing the door and flashing round to his side.

"Damon?!"

Sighing, Damon gritted his teeth. "I don't have time for this Elena." Damon snapped.

Elena's eyes watered as Dawn sobbed in the front seat, clutching her belly. "Text me through Stefan when you get to the hospital. Please." Elena whispered, her bottom lip jutting out as she blinked away her worried tears.

 **…**

Rubbing her eyes, Elena entered the boarding house, although she had originally wanted to check on Dawn and Vicki, Elena needed to talk to Stefan about what had happened with Dawn. All Elena could think about was the blood on Dawn's hand. Although there hadn't been streams and streams of blood, Elena just prayed Dawn and her baby would both be okay.

Walking up the stairs, Elena headed towards what she assumed was Stefan's room. "Stefan? Stefan?" Elena called.

Stefan's voice came loudly from the bedroom. "Yes."

As she placed her hand on the stair bannister, Elena jumped as Stefan appeared behind her. Placing a hand over her heart, Elena gasped in surprise. Was Stefan trying to give her a heart attack?

"Where is Vicki?" Elena asked, trying to calm down her erratic breathing.

Stefan grimaced. "She's upstairs."

Nodding, Elena glanced at the small droplets of blood that were on the floorboards. "Is Dawn's baby going to be okay?" Elena suddenly asked, her eyes watering as Stefan frowned.

Placing a hand on her shoulder, Stefan gave it a firm squeeze. "When she left the baby had a healthy heartbeat, but I can't say for sure…" Stefan trailed off as Elena sniffed.

At the thought of Dawn losing her baby, tears streamed down Elena's cheeks. Frowning, Stefan gently wiped them away with the pad of his thumb.

"We can only hope for the best." Stefan replied, giving Elena a comforting smile.

Nodding, Elena sighed. "So what are we doing about Vicki? I mean, what happens now? Because my brother is out there searching for her with the rest of the town. What do I tell him?" Elena asked, frowning as she ran a hand through her long, straight locks.

Nodding, Stefan glanced upstairs where Vicki was. The brunette was currently sprawled out on his bed, drinking deer blood. "I'm working with her, but it's gonna take time. She's a very volatile and impulsive personality. She's a drug user. I mean, all that's gonna play a part in how she responds to this."

"So, she's a vampire with issues? What am I supposed to do? Because I'm lying to everyone that I care about. What's gonna happen to her?" Elena frowned.

If there was anything Elena hated, it was lying.

"I'm gonna keep her here with me until I know that she's safe." Stefan promised.

Vicki's voice came from behind Elena, causing the doppelgänger to jolt in surprise. "How long is that?" Vicki huffed.

As Elena turned to face the newly turned vampire, Stefan sighed. "We can talk about that later."

Before Vicki could reply, Elena piped up. Giving her ex's sister a small smile, Elena took a step towards the girl. "Hey, Vicki, how are you?"

The brunette scoffed. "How am I? You're kidding, right?"

 **…**

Leaning her head against her arms, Dawn's limbs trembled as she pulled the hospital gown tighter around her body. Beside her was Damon, he was sitting in the hospital chair, silently staring at the walls as they both waited for results.

Noticing the tremble, Damon frowned and grabbed Dawn's hand. She wasn't trembling because she was cold, she was trembling because she was terrified. Dawn was just glad someone was there for her. She couldn't imagine waiting for the nurse on her own.

The doctors had already preformed a pelvic examination to check Dawn's cervix and make sure it was closed. They had also checked the size of Dawn's uterus and were currently gathering the results of both tests.

Besides the bed, an ultrasound machine was set up, the doctors wanted to perform an ultrasound to check the baby's heartbeat and make sure Dawn's baby was where it should be inside the uterus.

Turning to Damon, Dawn squeezed his hand. "I'm scared." Dawn admitted.

Smiling weakly, Damon ran his thumb across Dawn's knuckles. "I know… I know… But I'm here for you, Dawnie." Damon replied.

Nodding, Dawn laid back just as a nurse walked into the room. The nurse was rather young; her hair was scraped back into a bun while her features were soft.

"Hi, you must be Dawn. My names Sarah." The woman greeted, sitting by the ultrasound machine. Turning to Damon, Sarah smiled.

"And you must be the father."

Damon didn't protest as Dawn squeezed her hand, tensing. "Yup." Damon replied. Dawn sighed in relief, she didn't want any questions.

"Now, I know all of this is very overwhelming, but I'm just going to explain a few things to you before we start. The purpose of an ultrasound is to take a head to toe scan and make sure everything's okay and developing well." Dawn nodded as the woman opened the jell and gave Dawn a smile.

Motioning to the gown, Sarah smiled. "Would it be okay if you roll your gown up to your chest?"

Dawn tensed, glancing at Damon, who sent her a small smile. Nodding, Dawn shakily rolled the gown up, flushing as she sat in her underwear. Noticing her discomfort, Sarah placed a blanket over Dawn from hip downwards.

Rubbing the gel on her palms, Sarah smiled. "This may be a little bit of a shock as it's pretty cold." Sarah warned as she rubbed the gel on Dawn's bump.

"The jell is used so the probe can glide over the bump." Sarah explained, grabbing the small handheld probe and glided it across the bump.

Both Dawn and Damon watched the screen in amazement as a small little baby appeared on the screen. Covering her mouth, Dawn sobbed happily when she heard the loud heartbeat that echoed through the monitor.

"A nice and healthy heartbeat." Sarah smiled.

"You see that big circle, that's the head." The doctor pointed out as Dawn allowed tears to stream down her cheeks. "Here's the heart. Here's a leg, here's the other leg. And here's the crotch."

Dawn was speechless for a moment, all she could do was gape at the screen as Sarah pointed out her baby's different limbs and organs.

"Would you like to know the sex while you're here?"

After a moment of hesitating, Dawn nodded. "Yes, please."

Sarah smiled and zoomed in on the baby's crotch. "Congratulations, you're having a baby boy."

A boy… She was having a little boy… She had a son…

As Sarah flicked the lights back on and went to get the prints of her baby boy, the doctor who had ran the pelvic examination and the checked the size of her uterus, walked in.

Sitting beside Dawn, the doctor smiled and held the clipboard in his hands. "Miss Ellis. There is something I need to discuss with you about your health and the baby's."

Dawn immediately paled. "T-The midwife said everything was okay…" Dawn mumbled as Damon squeezed her hand.

The doctor nodded. "So far, everything is okay. But you will need to stay in the ward for a couple of days in regards to a warning of a threatened miscarriage."

 **…**

With a frown on her features, Caroline sighed as she sat on the sofa, a jar of Nutella in her hands along with a rather large spoon. She had resulted in eating a whole jar of Nutella to conceal her jealousy. Grabbing the T.V remote, Caroline flicked through the channels. When she found nothing remotely interesting on the monitor, Caroline groaned and turned the television off. As silence radiated around the Forbes' family home, Caroline threw her head back. The blonde jumped when her phone went off.

 _Mum: Dawn is in hospital, can't get out of work till later, so I'll visit when my shift has ended._

 **…**

A threatened miscarriage. It sounded like a death sentence… Was she going to lose her baby boy? No, she couldn't lose anyone else… She couldn't. Physically and emotionally.

Shaking her head, Dawn placed the hand, Damon wasn't holding, on her stomach. Dawn's beautiful hazel eyes fogged up with tears as she looked at the doctor. "N-N-No, I can't, I can't lose anyone else." Dawn sobbed, her bottom lip trembling as the doctor frowned.

"Miss Ellis. Your baby is very healthy, like yourself, but if you had come in any later, I'm afraid you would have lost the baby."

Dawn's breathing became frantic as she tried to register the doctor's words. "There are several types of miscarriages - but the most common ones are threatened, complete and incomplete miscarriage. When people hear the word miscarriage, they assume they have lost their child straight away, this is not always the case." He began

"When your body is showing signs that you might miscarry, that is called a 'threatened miscarriage'. You may have a little vaginal bleeding or lower abdominal pain. It can last days or weeks and the cervix is still closed. The pain and bleeding may go away and you can continue to have a healthy pregnancy and baby. Or things may get worse and you go on to have a miscarriage. There is no way of preventing a miscarriage, all we can recommend is taking it easy-"

The doctor paused, noticing Dawn's worried expression. "A complete miscarriage has taken place when all the pregnancy tissue has left your uterus. Vaginal bleeding may continue for several days. Cramping pain much like labor or strong period pain is common - this is the uterus contracting to empty. An incomplete miscarriage is when some pregnancy tissue will remain in the uterus. Vaginal bleeding and lower abdominal cramping may continue as the uterus continues trying to empty itself." He explained.

"A threatened miscarriage can be triggered by many things. But in your case, it was your high blood pressure. It could have been genetically passed down or simply from stress, we will look into that. But we just want you to stay in the ward for a couple of days so we can monitor you and your baby."

Damon watched as the doctor pulled out a notepad and began to write his words down. "To keep your blood pressure down, I'd suggest going walking, or swimming, some sort of exercise that will keep you healthy, but not push you too far, eat a healthy and balanced diet and keep your salt intake low, as this can reduce blood pressure and the most important one of all: rest."

Nodding, Dawn took each word in. "I'm also going to prescribe you some acetaminophen which will decrease the pains from your threatened miscarriage. But you need to follow strict orders of how much to take and how often, as it can cause liver damage if not taken correctly. Also, do not use medicine containing ibuprofen as ibuprofen can increase your risk of a full blown miscarriage."

After exchanging words with a doctor, Dawn turned to Damon, who was watching the doctor walk out the room.

Giving him a smile, Dawn leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Damon's cheek. "Thank you."

Turning to Dawn, surprised, Damon furrowed his brows together. "For what?"

Damon's posture was tense as felt a rush of emotions flood over him. "For saving my baby. Without you taking me to the hospital… I could have lost him." Dawn whispered, placing a hand on her stomach as Dawn's tears wet his cheeks.

The vampires posture was tense when Dawn wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. "Thank you." Dawn whispered into his chest.

Not knowing what to say, Damon ran a hand through her hair. "It's okay, Dawnie…"

"Dawn!" Dawn pulled away from Damon to see Caroline stood in the doorway, tears in her eyes.

As the two blondes embraced, Damon walked around them, catching Dawn's eye as he left.

 **…**

Sat at the bar, Damon downed the remains of the glass of bourbon as he tried to flush the human feelings out of his system with a good old glass of alcohol. He didn't like it. He shouldn't be feeling such emotions for the blonde. Surely, whatever he was feeling was, sympathy, right? He loved Katherine, Dawn was nothing. She was a human. A puppet for him to play with, and yet he had held the puppet's hand and been there for her in her time of need…

He needed another drink. Sliding the now empty glass to the plump bartender, Damon sent her a nod as she automatically refilled his drink.

"We never should have trusted that Logan... Weasel with the watch."

Arching a brow, Damon glanced over his shoulder, his eyes landing on Carol and Mason Lockwood. Hmmm. It seemed they were talking about the watch that Logan had found. Turning back to the bar, Damon began sipping his drink as he eavesdropped. It was handy having supernatural hearing.

"How many are we dealing with?" His wife replied.

So it seemed the council were still anti-vampire. How unsurprising.

"Well, the coroner thinks one. Something about the wound radius and the jaw pattern." Mayor Lockwood replied, leaning closer as he frowned.

Furrowing her thin, drawn on, brows together, Carol nervously bit her lower lip. "Are we in danger? I mean, if it found the watch, then it knows we know, and could it come after us? A-and should I even be saying 'it'? Or...or is it a he or a she?"

The mayor nodded. "If it has any historical knowledge of the town, then it'll know where the watch came from, so yes, we could very much be in danger."

Letting out a deep sigh, Damon could practically smell the fear radiating from the petite woman. "So what do we do?"

"Just keep it quiet. We can't have the entire town aware of this. We need to find it before it finds us." The mayor replied as Damon's smirk grew.

Grabbing his drink, Damon downed the remains.

 **…**

Approaching his blond best friend, Tyler nervously greeted Matt as he rubbed the back of his neck. To be honest, Tyler was feeling guilty. He had been using Vicki, sure, he might have liked her a little, but he mostly saw her as a warm body for his bed. Wincing at the thought, Tyler met his best friend's blue orbs.

"I heard they're putting together a search party for Vicki." Tyler admitted, shifting on his feet.

Matt had never seen Tyler like this. As much as he loved his best friend, Tyler Lockwood was a grade 'A' jerk. "She just called. She's okay." Matt admitted.

Nodding, Tyler sighed in relief. "Ooh good. That's great. I figured you must have been goin' out of your mind."

"Little bit. Yeah." Matt admitted.

Tyler's brow orbs softened as he noticed how broken his best friend was. Matt didn't have a dad, his mom was absent in his life, Vicki was the only thing the teen had.

"I was just gonna offer. You know, if there's anything I could do." Tyler replied firmly.

Smiling at the gesture, Matt nodded. "I appreciate it."

 **…**

Turning her nose up at the food on the tray, Caroline pushed the tray away from Dawn as she shook her blonde hair. "Nu-uh! There's no way, my _godson_ is eating that poor excuse of prison food." Caroline informed Dawn, eyeing the rather unappetizing food.

"Care!" Dawn reprimanded, trying to hold her giggles back.

Smiling, Caroline placed a hand on Dawn's belly. Although the blonde was a bit disappointed she hadn't been there with Dawn when the blonde found out her baby was an adorable baby boy, Caroline was overjoyed by the news of Dawn having a boy.

"Isn't that right, Edward." Caroline cooed, leaning down to talk to Dawn's bump as Dawn snorted.

Raising a brow, Dawn shook her head. "Edward? Twilight. Really, Care?" Dawn giggled.

Snorting, Caroline looked up. In one moment, Caroline's joyous expressions turned into serious ones as she grabbed Dawn's hand. "Now, I called Robert, told him you were in hospital and got you out of your shifts for a whole week-" Caroline was cut off by Dawn's protest.

"No! I need to go in, I'll call him now. I'm fine to go in right now." Dawn protested.

Narrowing her blue-green eyes, Caroline frowned. "No! You're not doing this, Dawnie. You need to think about the baby, not about money or work. The doctor said you need to rest; you're going to be in hospital for a couple of days. And if you go and do your shifts, you risk losing your baby. I will not let you jeopardize yours and my godson's future for some damn money!" Caroline exclaimed, her voice loud as Dawn frowned, tears brewing in her eyes.

Upon seeing her reaction, Caroline frowned. "Dawn…"

Pulling her into a tight hug, Caroline rubbed her back. "I'm doing this for you and your baby Dawnie. I don't know what I'd do if I lost either of you."

"I know… I know…"

Smiling, Caroline pulled back and wiped Dawn's tears away. "I love you, Dawnie."

"I love you too, Care-bear." Dawn teased, using the childhood nickname. Pausing, Dawn placed Caroline's hand on her bump. "We love you, Care-bear." Dawn corrected.

"I love both of you." Caroline giggled, a bright, beautiful smile on her face.

Sighing, Caroline leaned back in the hospital chair as her phone vibrated, indicating she had gotten a message. Reaching for her phone, Caroline frowned as she read the message.

"Who's that?" Dawn asked curiously, pulling the covers over her legs.

"Bonnie. I got her a costume for the carnival tonight. I'm going to cancel." Caroline shrugged.

Darting forward, Dawn shook her head. "No way, you've been looking forward to this all summer!" Dawn frowned.

"Dawnie, you and my godson are much more important." Caroline replied, her tone obvious as she furrowed her brows together.

Shaking her head, Dawn grabbed Caroline's hands. "Nope, I won't hear any more of it, you're going and that's the final. You're going to enjoy yourself, okay!"

 **…**

With a large bag on her arm, Caroline walked down the school halls, Bonnie by her side as the two discussed Dawn and the carnival. After a lot of convincing, Dawn had managed to persuade Caroline to attend the carnival, but only if Dawn didn't work for the week. Although Dawn felt she needed to work, she was willing to sacrifice her shifts for Caroline and her baby.

Frowning, Bonnie's big brown eyes turned to Caroline. "Any more news on Dawn?" Bonnie asked.

Shaking her head, the blonde pursed her lips. "No, just that she's resting and everything is looking okay." Caroline replied.

Bonnie couldn't help but sigh in relief as she ran a hand through her untameable black curls. Although herself and Elena hadn't been friends with Dawn for long, the two had been fretting about Dawn all day. Dawn had a threatened miscarriage for god sake! And chances were, if she didn't rest and take the doctor's advice, she could lose the baby completely. But then again, even if she did take the doctor's advice, she still could lose the baby. After all, doctors couldn't do anything to stop a miscarriage.

"I hope she's okay…" Bonnie trailed off, frowning deeply.

Nodding, Caroline turned to the dark haired witch. "Mmm."

"Caroline, do you know what room Dawn is in? Me and Elena are going to visit her later." Bonnie mentioned as Caroline tensed up.

The green giant emerged as jealousy pulsed through her. Should she let Elena and Bonnie visit Dawn? They were her friends, but she had been Dawn's friend longer. Plus, Dawn shouldn't have too many visitors. But then again, Dawn needed all the support she could get, after all, she didn't have her biological family. But Dawn didn't need Gabriel or Shelia as she had Elizabeth and Caroline Forbes.

"Uhh… I don't know if she's ready for visitors…" Caroline trailed off as Bonnie nodded understandingly.

Giving Caroline a smile, Bonnie glanced at the large bag that was still hanging on Caroline's arm and kept brushing against her own athletic figure.

"Of course. We'll send her our love.""

Nodding happily, Caroline smiled. "I will, plus, Dawn gave me this and told me to show you guys."

Caroline paused a moment as she reached into her purse and pulled out an ultrasound picture. Covering her mouth, Bonnie couldn't help but let the wide grin take over her lips. "Is that…"

The blonde nodded. "Her ultrasound. She's having a boy. A little baby boy." Caroline grinned.

Bonnie smiled, her eyes watering slightly as she took the picture from Caroline. Running her fingers across the picture, Bonnie smiled as Caroline pointed the baby out. "That's his head, there's his heart, ooh and there's his crotch! The doctor Is 90% sure it's a boy."

Caroline continued to point at the picture as Bonnie smiled. "He's adorable."

"Yes. Yes he is." Caroline grinned proudly. One would have thought Caroline was the mother.

As Caroline carefully put the photo in her purse, she hesitated before giving Bonnie a smile. "If you want… I can get the picture photo copied so you and Elena can have one. Dawn wouldn't mind. Plus, the hospital only gave her three copies, one for Dawn, one for mom and one for me." Caroline smiled.

Bonnie was touched by the gesture. "Really?! Thanks, Care."

"It's no problem." Caroline shrugged before wiggling her brows. "Anyways, your grams owes me fifty dollars." Caroline grinned as Bonnie snorted.

"I'll remind her. So did you get me your costume."

Rolling her eyes, Caroline held the bag out for Bonnie. "I have got your costume. It's all here."

Taking the bag from Caroline, Bonnie scoffed when she glimpsed at the costume in the bag. Pulling the costume completely from the bag, Bonnie shook her head. Caroline had got Bonnie a witch costume. It came with a short yet strangely cute mustard yellow and black dress which had a lot of lace on and had a familiar amber necklace hanging from the coat hanger.

"Seriously?"

Caroline let a huff and turned to the brunette, stopping her in the process. "Come on. Can someone please be excited that it's Halloween? I just wanna have fun, you know, just some silly, fluffy, Damon free fun."

Giving her a small smile, Bonnie looked back down at the costume and raised a brow at the necklace. Placing the jewel in her palm, Bonnie met Caroline's eyes. "Hey, isn't this the one you got from Damon?"

"Yep. Wear it. Toss it. I don't care. I just want it gone. Hey, have you seen Elena? Do we know what she's wearing?" Caroline continued.

Shaking her head, Bonnie's brows furrowed together. "I was with Grams all weekend. I haven't talked to her. Maybe she's with Stefan."

"Riding to his castle on his white horse." Caroline grumbled as Bonnie sent her friend a sympathetic glance.

"Don't be bitter. It provokes wrinkles." Bonnie teased as Caroline let out a gasp and touched her forehead. Bonnie snorted at this.

* * *

 **Hi guys! I'm sorry that this chapter is a little short. A lot has happened in this chapter, including the big news; Dawnie is having a baby boy! I collected everyone's preferences and compared odds and I think a boy won by 2:1. I was more swayed towards a baby boy to be honest. I hope this chapter was worth the wait! Also, does anyone know any good (grammar and plot wise) Castiel OC fanfictions or Dean OC fanfictions? I have only found one Dean OC which was amazing. If anyone was curious it was 'The trouble with love is' and it's by PirateWizardThief. It's one of the best fanfiction's I've read! Also, if anyone was affected by Dawn's threatened miscarriage, message me. Sorry for any mistakes, I really don't like this chapter...**

 **In response to:**

 **PirateWizardThief: I'm glad you enjoyed it! Damon and the baby boy are already bonding! Stefan is a huge fan of Taylor Swift, almost as much as he loves Kich! Concerned Damon is a sweet Damon. Yeah, Damon really needs to get that temper in check, he also really loves his vintage bottles! As always, thanks for the review, it's appreciated!**

 **Guest (chapter 9, Jul 18): I'm glad you're enjoying it! Thanks for the review.**

 **Guest (chapter 9, Jul 18): Aw, that's sweet! Thanks for reviewing!**

 **BrittStar1199: I completely agree; the majority of the fanfictions I've read consist of Damon being a dick. I mean, he can come across as mean in season 1, but nobody ever highlights the sensitive side of Damon that is evident. Aw, that's adorable! Thanks for the review!**

 **Gracfully: Glad you're enjoying it so far! Thanks for reviewing.**

 **Ghostlysights: Damon is pretty adorable. And don't worry, Gabriel will get what is coming to him! Why don't you like Abraham ;). And vampires can like Taylor Swift too :D! Thanks for the review.**

 **Kim: Dawn is a nature related creature, but she's higher up than just being related or a servant of nature (a witch for example). I agree, it's a little like Klaus. He's amazing with Hope because of the way he was treated by Mikael. So I think Damon will be amazing with Dawn's baby boy! I will change the Katherine and Damon kiss somehow, maybe I'll do it so Katherine kisses Damon, Damon pulls away and freaks out at Elena, I haven't decided yet. But when it does happen, Dawn will be hella' pissed as she will be giving birth in season 2. I love Batman! I love the joker. I'll check it out! Thanks for the review!**

 **Adela: Im glad you're enjoying it! Thanks for reviewing.**

 **SomebodyWhoCares: Nope, I was originally planning on that, but I decided against it. Damon and Dawn are already building up a bond and I personally cannot see him doing that to Dawn. He is still in love with Katherine and will be for a while, but he feels for Dawn as well. Thanks for the review.**

 **Guest (chapter 1, Jul 19): No sorry, I don't like writing mature scenes… Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Lijahsgirl: I hate Coraline too! Ugh, it is really creepy! I love Harry Potter too. Thanks for reviewing!**

 **TamashinoSuzume: Haha, let's just say don't judge a book by it's cover! I might write a scene like that in the future, if you don't mindJ. It's a really good idea! Don't worry, suggesting isn't rude. Any are welcome. This chapter and chapter twelve is mostly Dawn. To avoid confusion, I like to write the entire episode, which I cut down into the scenes I need and then add my own scenes. Not everyone can remember some scenes and may be confused, so by writing the other scenes, it reminds them on what happened. I also like to remember, although this is Dawn's story, it's not only her story. Don't worry about it, there is a lot of Dawn in the next three chapters! Thanks for the review and feedback!**

 **Tay927: I update weekly. And the father of Dawn's baby will be revealed in the future. As in chapter ten, the sex of the baby is revealed, then in chapter 12 it is revealed what Dawn is, so I need so spread the reveal out a bit. But before it is revealed, Dawn and Damon need to get a lot closer! Thanks for the reviews.**

 **123456789: Aw, that's so sweet! I'm glad you're loving it so far! And don't worry, Damon will focus on Dawn, maybe a little bit on Katherine (he is beginning to get over her) but there will be no Delena in this fic. I may even end up creating another OC for Elena, as she is one of my favorite's and I don't want her lonely! But then again, she could be alone and be all for girl power! Thanks for the review!**

 **Natalie: I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! Aw, I really enjoyed writing when he touched Dawn's belly too, it was too cute! You should message me your theory, if you can't message (I'm not sure if non-members can message), then just comment it, don't worry about it:D. I'd love to hear your theory! I completely agree, I love, love Amelia Gilbert, but I feel other stories have ruined the 'twin/sister' plot by overusing it. Don't judge a book by its cover. Thanks for the lovely review!**


	11. e l e v e n

**This chapter could be triggering for some readers.**

* * *

 **1X07 Haunted part two.**

 **Dawn Ellis played by Dianna Agron**

"Coffee is our friend. It's the caffeine. It circulates through our veins, and it warms our body so we're not so cold to the touch." Stefan informed Vicki, his voice calm and collected as she rolled her eyes. Beside Stefan, Elena sat, her stupid doe orbs sympathetic as she glanced at Vicki. Now she felt bad for her? Vicki snorted at the thought. How ironic, perfect Elena Gilbert now cared because she was dead.

Vicki Donovan was bored. All she wanted to do was go and see Matty or Jeremy. She hated being cooped up in the boarding house, she hated animal blood, she hated being sat opposite Elena Gilbert, but most of all, she hated being a vampire.

"Well, what if I wanna drink human blood?" Vicki replied boredly, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

Feeling Elena shift uncomfortably, Stefan leaned forward, sighing as he did so. Granted, he was a patient man, but it seemed that Vicki wasn't a patient woman. "You're gonna have to learn to live with that urge and fight it on a daily basis one day at time." He replied simply.

Tossing her head back, Vicki groaned, clutching a pillow to her chest. "Oh god! Don't start with that whole 12 steps thing. School counselor has been down that road, and it doesn't work for me."

"It can work. It's your choice, Vicki." Stefan replied, glancing at Elena from the corner of his eye.

Raising a brow, Vicki sat up straight as she leaned forward, meeting Stefan's eyes. "So you've never tasted human blood?"

Stefan shook his head. "Not in a long time."

"How long?"

Seeing that Vicki wasn't going to give up, Stefan sighed, tensing up as Elena looked at him curiously. "Years and years. I'm not proud of my past behavior."

Standing up, Vicki walked around the room, her hands trailing over multiple items as she frowned. "Does this sketchy feeling ever go away? It's like I have a massive hangover. This daylight thing is a bitch. I need more blood. Where's your bathroom? I have to pee. Why do I have to pee? I thought I was dead."

Before Stefan could protest, Vicki left the room. Glancing at Elena, Stefan frowned. "I'm going to, uh... I'm gonna get her some more. All right. I'll be quick."

As Stefan left the room, Elena drummed her nails on the desk as she patiently waited for Stefan and Vicki to come back. Glancing at her phone, Elena frowned. She had been told by Caroline that Dawn had a threatened miscarriage and was resting up in hospital for a couple of days. The blonde was off work for a week and was relaxing.

Apparently the doctors had come to the conclusion that the threatened miscarriage was triggered by high blood pressure. They weren't sure if it was genetic or simply stress.

But even if it was genetic, the whole vampire situation probably wasn't helping Dawn's stress. At least the baby was okay. The baby boy. Caroline had also said Dawn had an ultrasound and found it was a boy.

And as happy as Elena was for Dawn, she now owned Shelia Bennett fifty dollars. Elena cursed her former self, why hadn't she bet a boy?! Bonnie had text Elena saying Caroline was going to copy her own picture of the ultrasound for her and Elena. The doppelgänger was touched by Caroline's gesture.

After all, neither Elena or Bonnie were dumb. Caroline was clearly jealous that Bonnie and Elena were becoming close friends of Dawn's, but Elena couldn't blame her. For eleven years, Caroline was used to having Dawn all to herself.

Elena was cut out of her daydreams as Vicki strolled in. "False alarm. My body's feeling really funky. It's a good funk, but it's weird." The brunette announced, pulling her phone out of her pocket.

Flicking through her contacts, Vicki finally landed on Jeremy and pressed the call button. As she held the phone to her ear, Elena's voice was slightly worried.

"Hmm, who are you calling?"

Vicki restrained rolling her eyes. "Jeremy." She replied simply.

Standing, Elena took a step towards Vicki, her eyes hard yet sympathetic as Vicki raised a brow and hung up. Now that she was a vampire, Vicki was dangerous. She was a newborn vampire who would be battling with bloodlust. It wasn't safe for Jeremy to be around Vicki nor was it safe for Vicki's conscience to be around Jeremy.

"Vicki, you can't see Jeremy anymore." Elena proclaimed firmly.

Grinding her teeth together, Vicki span to face Elena, her eyes dark as her gums began to itch. Elena was really annoying her. "Oh come on, don't you start. I'm gonna see whoever I wanna see."

Elena's brows furrowed together. "Even though you could hurt him?"

The brunette's eyes darkened at the implication as Vicki took another step towards Elena. "I would never hurt Jeremy."

"I know you think that, but I can't take that risk. You're gonna have to let Jeremy go now." Elena replied softly.

Letting out a bitter laugh, Vicki shook her head. "Oh really? And how long have you been preparing the 'you're not good enough' speech? I'm assuming it predates the whole vampire thing."

Once again, Elena frowned. "All I am saying is Jeremy is not getting involved in any of this. I mean it, Vicki."

"Or what?"

Before Elena knew it, she was pushed against the wall with Vicki's hand wrapped tightly around her throat. As her air pipes began to dry up, Elena kicked her feet in the air as she struggled to breath. Leaning close, Vicki's grip tightened around Elena's fragile, human throat. "Let's get one thing straight, you perky little bitch. You had my brother whipped for fifteen years. Fifteen years and then you dumped him. When I look at you that is all I see, just so you know. And I'm gonna see Jeremy whenever I wanna see Jeremy, because I have some fun new toys to play with, and I won't think twice about ripping your little head off. You got it?"

Elena was swiftly dropped to the ground as Vicki walked away, leaving Elena coughing on the floor.

 **…**

"She threatened me." Elena mumbled, her eyes wide as she rubbed her sore throat.

All Elena had done was protect her brother and ultimately protect Vicki. Not only from the vampire hunting council, but from herself. Vicki wasn't a bad person and if she hurt someone, the brunette would have felt awful, especially if she hurt someone close to her like Matt or Jeremy.

Although Stefan understood Vicki was on edge, Stefan couldn't deny the anger when he looked at Elena's throat. Vicki had held Elena so tight, her hands were imprinted into Elena's soft flesh. The marks were white, red and green, bruising slightly.

"She's on edge. Imagine every sense in your body operating at super speed. I mean, she's uncomfortable in her own skin. And then when you throw in her other issues..."

Nodding, Elena continued to rub her bruised neck as she tried not to act irritated at the brunette. "How long before it settles? Hours? Days? Weeks?"

Stefan stiffened. "There's no rule book."

Letting out a shaky sigh, Elena frowned. "Well, how long before you learned to control it?"

"Awhile, But I didn't have anybody helping me. I had to do it on my own. The thing is, it's hard to resist certain people, especially when you're new, it's difficult to separate your feelings. Love, lust, anger, desire...it can all blur into one urge, hunger."

Perplexed, Elena furrowed her brows together. "What does that mean?"

"It means that Jeremy can't see her, not now. She might not be able to resist him, and she could hurt him." Stefan replied, his apple green eyes meeting her own.

Elena gulped. "Or worse."

Gently grabbing her trembling hand, Stefan frowned. "I'm not gonna let anybody get hurt." Stefan promised.

Pulling her hand from his grip, Elena shifted uncomfortably. "I need to get going."

"Elena..."

"Please Stefan. There's only so much I can take."

 **…**

Clutching the ultrasound picture in his hand, Damon shoved it in his leather jacket pocket as he made a virtual reminder to place it with the other picture of Dawn he had. After leaving the room, he had compelled a doctor to print another copy out for him. Ignoring the feelings that radiated around his body, Damon entered Stefan's room, only to find Vicki.

The presence of the brunette was beginning to really annoy Damon. When he had turned her, he hadn't thought he'd have to listen to her constant whining. Humans… Well, newborn vampires…

As she sprawled out across Stefan's bed, Damon rolled his eyes as tasteless music flooded from the speakers. Must have been Stefan's music. Damon made another virtual reminder to show his brother some real music.

"What are you doing?"

Looking up lazily, Vicki sighed. "Just contemplating the next hundred years. Why did you do it?"

Damon blinked. "I was... Bored."

The newly turned vampire frowned. "You did this to me out of boredom?"

Damon shrugged. "It's one of the pitfalls of eternity."

Vicki sighed, turning over as she pouted. "Now I'm bored. And all I can think about is blood. I just want some blood. I can't think about anything else. What is that about?"

"That'll ease up. You've just been cooped up all day. Let's go." Damon replied.

"Where?" Vicki asked, raising a brow.

Letting out a scoff, Damon lead the newly turned vampire down the stairs. "Your life was pathetic. Your afterlife doesn't have to be."

Before they could leave, Stefan's voice cut them off. "What are you doing?"

Damon carelessly rolled his eyes. "She's been cooped up in your room all day. She's not Anne Frank."

Stefan stood in Damon's way. "No, no. Hey hey... Now's not the time for this."

"If you're gonna teach her. Teach her. Show her what it's all about."

"She could hurt someone." Stefan replied firmly as Vicki glanced between the two brothers anxiously.

Damon scoffed. "I'm not takin' her to Disneyland. We're going in the front yard. Come on."

"Bad idea Damon."

Once again, Damon rolled his eyes at his little brother. Stefan was really starting to annoy him now. "She's a vampire Stefan, she should know the perks."

Vicki raised a brow. "Like what?"

"Like..." Damon used his super speed to zoom behind her, making her gasp in amusement.

"Whoa. How did you do that?"

Damon showed the brunette who squealed in surprise. "Come on Vicki, live a little. No pun intended."

In a sheer moment, Vicki super sped away, leaving Damon and Stefan. "Uh... My bad."

 **…**

Flashback

Running her fingers over the corners of the brittle Bible, Dawn's big hazel eyes widened in awe as she stood on her tiptoes. The church was quiet and her father was in the back, sorting out paperwork or something. Despite the fact Dawn knew he'd not be happy, she continued to stand on the podium, reaching for the Bible as the church candles flickered due to the small breeze that was coming in through the windows.

At the age of seven, Dawn was a curious child. Back then, she had been a normal child. Well, losing the word 'normal' loosely. Her father still had been strictly religious back then and had often forced her to hand out preaching leaflets and knock on doors with other members of the church.

Pushing a random page open with the tips of her fingers, Dawn peered at the book. Immediately, one quote caught her eye. "Exodus 20:12; - _Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you."_

Dawn had studied the versus before in Sunday school. The reserve told us we are to honor our mothers, whatever our age, whatever our place in life, our mothers always deserve our honor.

At the mention of the 'M' word, Dawn furrowed her fair brows together. Caroline had a mommy, all the kids in Sunday school had mommies, even the kids in her class had mommies. Why didn't she? Her father had told her that her mommy had a place in heaven, that she had to be there.

But Dawn didn't understand why. Why did her mommy have to help God while everyone else's got to be with their children? It wasn't fair. But her dad had always told her that life wasn't fair. But he had told her that if people didn't get justice in this world, then they'd receive it in the next. And that was something Dawn clung onto.

End of flashback _._

 **…**

Faintly smiling, Vicki looked up at the home that practically belonged to her and Matty. Heading up the porch, Vicki began to call out or her brother. Opening the front door, Vicki frowned when she couldn't get past the front door… What the hell? Vicki continued to try and push through the door, but with no luck, she was stopped by an invisible wall. What?

"Matt?"

The blond bolted up at the sound of the voice, rubbing his eyes tiredly. It seemed Matty had been asleep. "Vicki? Is that you?"

"Hey." Vicki replied simply.

A grin rose on Matt's lips as he stood by the door, embracing his sister. "Get in here." He claimed playfully. As his strong arms wrapped around her waist, Vicki sighed as she smelt the blood that pumped through his veins. He smelt so good…

Pulling away quickly, Matt missed the hungry expression on her face as she nervously glanced at the barrier. "In a minute. I..."

"Please come inside. I've been worried. Thank God you're okay. Where were you, Vic?" Matt said.

Hesitantly, Vicki took another step forward, waiting for herself to be blocked by the barrier, but this time, she was let in. Blinking in surprise, Vicki walked in the kitchen and sat on the chair.

"It's no big deal. Drop it already."

Matt frowned. People had died, it was a big deal. "Three people were murdered in the woods. The cops were lookin' for you. They wanna question you."

"They know where I live." Vicki replied simply.

Noticing his sisters strange behaviour, Matt didn't make a comment. After all, he was just glad she was back. "Everyone was worried about you."

Vicki snorted at the thought. By everyone, it meant Matt, Jeremy and the cops. Unlike Matt and Jeremy, the cops were only worried that she'd died and they had to do more paperwork. "I'm back now. Just let it go."

Furrowing his brows together, Matt tried to keep his temper in check. "Are you kidding? I had a freakin' search party out lookin' for you while you were off on your crazy drug trip, and you want me to let it go?"

Before she could reply, Vicki moaned when her head began to sting. There was too much noise… "My head hurts." Vicki moaned.

Matt scoffed, thinking her headache had something to do with drugs. "You think?"

Just as Matt was about to lecture Vicki, the doorbell went. Raising a brow, Matt went past Vicki and opened the front door, only to reveal Stefan. The vampire looked worried, his eyes scanning over Matt, almost as if he was checking for a wound or something.

"Stefan, what are you doing here?" Matt didn't hide his surprise.

Cutting to the chase, Stefan glanced behind Matt, only to find his view was blocked by the kitchen door. "Is Vicki home?"

Nodding in confusion, Matt frowned. "Yeah."

Sighing in relief, Stefan nodded. At least he knew where she was. "Can I see her, please?"

Before Matt could invite Stefan in, Vicki frowned, coming up from behind Stefan. Placing a hand on her brother's arm, Vicki sent her brother the puppy eyes she had used to give their babysitter in order to get extra candy. "Don't let him in. I don't want him in here."

Narrowing his eyes, Matt glared at Stefan. Had he done something to Stefan? Had he been the who murdered all the drug addicts at the old part of the cemetery? Had he kidnapped his sister? Okay, maybe he was jumping to conclusions, but Vicki's 'fear' towards Stefan sparked his overprotective brother attitude, despite the fact Vicki was a year older than him.

"Did he do something to you?" Matt question.

Shaking her head frantically, Vicki placed a hand on Matt's arm. "No, I just don't want him in here."

"Just let me come in so I can explain myself." Stefan begged. He couldn't get inside the house without Matt's invite, and it seemed harder to get with Vicki's input on the situation.

Matt shook his head, his nostrils flaring as he tried to keep his temper in check. "Look, I don't know what's going on but I think you should leave now."

"Matt..."

Shaking his head, the blond teen frowned. "Please, now, Stefan."

With those words, Matt slammed the door shut, leaving Stefan on the porch.

 **…**

Frowning at the missed call, Jeremy called back Vicki for the millionth time. Okay, maybe he was exaggerating a tad, after all, a million calls would run up a rather large phone bill. Jeremy had been in the bathroom for one minute and next thing he knew, he had missed a call from Vicki.

It was rather ironic. Jeremy had organized search parties, kept glancing at his phone and when he went to the bathroom for a moment, she called.

Frowning when it came to voicemail, Vicki sighed. "You gotta call me, Vic. I don't get it. What's going on with you? Just...just call me please."

As the voicemail ended, Jeremy shoved his phone in his pocket when his sister sat beside him. Giving him a smile, Elena awkwardly cleared her throat. "Hey. So, um, do you wanna hang out tonight? We could go to the, uh, Halloween thing at school. Could be fun!" Elena smiled.

Jeremy hesitated for a moment. "Cool. Sure. Sounds uh...sounds fun. Can't wait."

Pleased by his answer, Elena smiled and placed a hand on her his arm. "I know you're upset about Vicki. I heard she called Matt. But you can't be with her. She needs to get better. The best thing you can do for her is let her go."

Hastily pushing Elena's hand of his arms, Jeremy narrowed his eyes, his brows furrowed as he scowled. "What does that even mean, 'let her go'? Oh, okay, sure. Since we're such experts on letting people go, right?"

Hurt washed across Elena's features as she tried to mask the emotion. Maybe she wasn't the best example of letting people go, but she was trying. Jeremy needed to let Vicki go, she could hurt him or worse. "I know you may not see it, but trust me Jer. It's for the best." Elena mumbled.

Jeremy wasn't fazed by Elena's watery eyes as he scoffed. "Look, for months after mom and dad died, I felt like crap, like 'nothing really even mattered' crap. Now all of a sudden, I get these moments and things started to feel just a little bit better, and Vicki was in every single of 'em. So you may not see it, but trust me. Keeping me away from her is not for the best." Elena's eyes softened as she frowned.

Before Elena could speak, Jeremy walked off and began texting Vicki. He was relieved when she texted back. It was official, they would meet at the carnival or whatever it was.

 **…**

Flashback

Muffled whimpers, trembling limbs, fists clenching the sheets and the regular feeling of hopelessness, it was the usual night for fourteen-year-old Dawn Ellis. As a sheet of darkness covered the crescent moon, Dawn's curtains swayed from the light breeze.

The sound of approaching footsteps caused her to tense. Her fists turned white from the pressure as she smothered her loudening whimpers. He was coming.

Time slowed down as the light sound of footsteps got closer and closer. The footsteps were barely audible to most, but they sounded like thunder to Dawn.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five

Si- the door creaked open, halting Dawn's counting as she trembled.

His heavy breathing was evident as he slowly closed behind him. Dawn trembled furthermore, holding back her sobs as she closed her eyes and pressed her hands together. Like every time he came into her bedroom, Dawn prayed. She prayed to God for justice, for redemption, for him to stop, but it never did any good. It didn't stop him.

Slowly the covers slithered off her legs as Dawn stayed completely still, smothering her almost silent sobs.

End of flashback

 **...**

As the Halloween themed carnival went at full speed, Caroline Forbes and Bonnie Bennett approached Tyler, grins on their faces as Tyler held out two glass cups that were filled with an amber liquid. Both girls looked amazing. Caroline was wearing a deep purple and black lace corset styled dress with a matching witch hat to Bonnie. The dress suited Caroline's beautiful figure and showed off her favourite asset, her legs. Bonnie's mustard yellow and black dress landed on her mid-thigh, revealing her own, long tanned legs.

While Bonnie was wearing a blonde wig, Caroline's hair hung over her shoulders, simply waved. Strangely enough, Caroline wasn't wearing any makeup. The blonde had spent all her day with Dawn before going home and changing into her costume. Caroline honestly didn't really want to go to the stupid Halloween carnival, she wanted to be with Dawn. But a deal was a deal.

Opposite the two girls, Tyler was wearing a male toga outfit, red fabric hung over his prominent six pack. It seemed he was using the party as an excuse to show off his body. But then again, who wasn't?

"Cider for the ladies. It's a Lockwood special." Tyler grinned, holding out the amber liquid.

As Caroline grabbed a glass out his hand, Bonnie shook her head, a playful smile on her features. "No way. Last year I was hung over until Thanksgiving."

Tyler snorted at this and downed the cider himself.

"Lightweight. I am going to drink until someone is hot enough to make out with." Caroline grinned as Tyler snorted.

Nodding in agreement, he sent a smirk to Caroline. "Sounds like a plan."

"Caroline! Caroline!"

The three juniors turned round to see a flustered, out of breath Abraham sprinting towards them. As he reached Caroline, he took a moment to catch his breath before speaking.

"… Hi."

Caroline giggled as both Bonnie and Tyler exchanged glances. Who was he?

Noticing Bonnie and Tyler's gaze, Caroline turned to face the two. "Guys this is Abraham, Dawn's step-brother: Abraham. Abraham this is Bonnie and Tyler."

"Nice to meet you." Bonnie smiled politely as Tyler gave Abraham a welcoming nod.

Glancing don at his costume, Caroline raised a brow. "Nice… Costume."

Blushing, he ran a hand across his neck. "I, uh, came last minute. All we had was some bandages…" Abraham mumbled, looking down at his costume in embarrassment.

The brown eyed man was wearing a white shirt with a pair of cream jeans, he had a strip of bandage around his head, a couple of strips round his waist and some up his arm. His dirty blonde hair was ruffled as he glanced at Caroline. "You look beautiful."

Caroline just smiled as she nodded. "Thanks. So what made you come last minute?"

The boy in the mummy costume shrugged. "I wanted to speak to Dawn. My dad wants to meet her in the Grill tomorrow at 1:00." Abraham replied before looking around for Dawn.

When he didn't see the pregnant, short blonde, Abraham frowned. "Where is she?"

Caroline's brows furrowed together. "You… You don't know, do you?"

"Know what?"

"Dawn's in hospital. She had a threatened miscarriage."

Abraham's eyes bulged out of his head as he frowned. "What?! Is she okay?!"

The blonde nodded. "Yeah, she's fine now. Just resting up. The baby's fine too. I can give you her room number if you want?"

Abraham nodded, "Yes please… I hope she's okay."

 **…**

Flashback.

Clutching the fork in her hand, fourteen-year-old Dawn stared at her full plate. She didn't look healthy. Her features were sunken in, her skin was pale and thick bags outlined her beautiful hazel eyes. Her posture was tense as she leaned against the chair. Opposite her, Gabriel and Shelia sat, chatting quietly as they ate their dinner.

Beside her, Abraham sat, calmly eating his dinner as he tapped his foot on the floor. Glancing over to his younger half-sister, Abraham frowned in concern. She didn't look well nor had she been eating… Not only that, her chair was shuffled away from his as far as possible. Furrowing his brows together, Abraham frowned in concern. Was something wrong with her? Had he upset her?

The thought of upsetting the girl who was like a sister to him, caused a surge of guilt to flood through him. Poor Dawn. Maybe it was Caroline? The blonde was rather sharp-tongued, perhaps she said something to upset Dawn? He couldn't be sure, but he'd find out. No one upset his little sister and got away with it.

Looking up from her plate, Shelia arched a thin brow. "Why aren't you eating, young lady?"

Jumping at the sound of her voice, Dawn gulped. "I-,uh, I…" She stuttered.

Casting his wife a glance, Gabriel frowned. "Leave her alone, Shelia. I'll deal with this." He promised softly. Shelia scowled, but said nothing as her husband leaned forward.

"Is something wrong Dawn?"

The blonde looked around frantically, her eyes clouding with tears as she looked between Abraham, Gabriel and Shelia. All of them were looking at her expectantly.

"I…"

Abraham frowned. "Is something wrong? If something is bothering you, I'm sure it can be resolved." He added, a soft smile on his lips as his brown eyes met Dawn's.

Shaking her head, Dawn bolted out the seat and ran up to her room. Shelia rolled her eyes at this. As Gabriel went to get up, Shelia held a hand out. "Don't dear. I'm sure she's being dramatic. You know what teenage girls are like."

With that, the three went back to eating their dinner.

End of flashback.

 **…**

Eyeing his wife, Richard frowned as he noticed his wife's clumsy nature. It seemed that someone had a little too much to drink… Eyeing the empty glasses on the table, Richard cocked a brow. The waiter had taken away some of the glasses and yet there was at least a dozen on the table.

"How many martinis have you had?" Richard asked curiously.

The Mayor was met with his wife's glare as she rolled her eyes and placed down her half-full glass on the table. "Oh. Don't start with me." She grumbled.

Although many thought the Lockwood's were perfect, they were far from that. Both Carol's husband and son had raging anger issues that were way to easy to set off, her husband had a wandering eye for pretty young women and barely even looked at her and she was drinking more.

"Can we go now? We're late for the Halloween party. Let's go." The Mayor sighed, looking at his watch as Carol continued to drink the martini.

Rolling her eyes at her husband, Carol waved him off. "So go ahead. I'd like to finish my drink." She spat. Her husband took a moment to glance at the nearly empty drink, shaking his head, Richard walked off, leaving Carol to wallow in her self-pity.

"Let me guess. Daisy Buchanan. I love a good 'Gatsby' look." Carol looked up, meeting Damon Salvatore's crystal orbs. Carol could practically feel herself flush as she glanced down at her costume.

The costume was golden, figure hugging and very expensive. But it was clearly made for someone younger…

Smiling coyly, Carol downed the remains of her drink, meeting his eyes. "I've met you before. Aren't you Caroline Forbes' boyfriend?" Carol asked.

"Ah, she had a schoolgirl crush on me, but... It was cute, but I had to let her down easy." Damon winked as Carol grinned.

Eyeing Damon like a piece of meat, Carol grinned. "It's Damon, right?"

If Richard was allowed to eye eighteen-year-old, why couldn't Carol eye a young man of her own? "Ah, you remember?"

Carol was snapped out of her thoughts by Damon's silky voice. "Well, you have a face that's hard to forget. What's your last name Damon?" She giggled.

"Salvatore." Damon replied.

Raising her brows, Carol didn't hide her surprise. "Salvatore."

"Mm hmm."

"Are you any relation to Zach?" Carol asked as Damon nodded.

As his eyes dilated, Damon leaned in, attempting to compel the woman. "Zach's my uncle. How do you know Zach?"

Seeing his eyes, Carol raised a brow. "Are you okay?"

Vervain… Damon quickly hid his surprise as he rubbed his eyes. "Yeah. I think there's something in my eye."

Nodding, Carol smiled. "Well, I know Zach from the Founder's Council. You know the Salvatore's were one of this town's original settlers."

"Yes, they were. I wasn't aware that Zach was a member. I just recently moved back home and haven't really had a chance to meet many of his friends."

Carol nodded before frowning as her thoughts wandered to Zach. "Well, will you tell him to return my calls? I've left several messages."

Leaning in, Damon lowered his voice. "Zach went out of town for a bit. But if it's about the vervain..."

Failing to hide her surprise, Carol raised a brow. "You know about the vervain?"

Damon smirked. "Well, I'm a Salvatore. Of course I do."

"Of course." Carol mumbled as the waiter came and placed two drinks on the table. One that contained bourbon and one that contained a martini.

Grabbing the glass of bourbon, Damon raised it and chinked it against Carol's. "Hmm. Cheers."

 **…**

Self-consciously tugging on her nurse costume, Elena frowned as she followed Jeremy into the entrance. While Elena was dressed up, Jeremy was wearing a black hoodie matched with black jeans. Elena rolled her eyes as she approached Matt, leaving Jeremy behind as he continued to jump out on small kids.

As she met up with Matt, Elena couldn't help but admire the set-up around her. The place was practically glow in the dark and clearly someone had put a lot of effort into it.

"You went with last year's costume too, huh?" Matt smiled, glancing down at Elena's costume as she smiled.

Her ex-boyfriend was wearing his own doctor costume with his small medical box. Elena smiled faintly as she bumped her own medical box against his.

"Yeah. I didn't know that I was coming till an hour ago." Elena admitted.

Matt chuckled, nodding. "Me neither"

Before Elena could reply, Jeremy walked up to them, standing beside Elena as Matt smiled. "And you're going as...you?"

The blond teen was met with an eye roll before Jeremy walked away, leaving a frowning Elena. Raising a brow, Matt turned to Elena, who sighed. "He's not talking to me right now. We got into fight."

"Yeah, I got into it with Vic too, when she got home. I'm trying not to smother her tonight, but part of me didn't wanna let her out of my sight." Matt replied.

Elena's eyes widened in surprise. Vicki was here… That was why Jeremy agreed to go… "She's here?"

"Yeah, you can't miss her. She's a vampire."

The doppelgänger didn't know if to cry or laugh at the ironicness. Turning around, Elena frowned when she noticed Jeremy was no longer in her vision. He had been talking to someone in his class a moment ago… "Where did Jeremy go?"

Concerned, Matt took a step forward. "Elena what's the matter?"

"I..I've gotta find him."

 **…**

As her skirt swished around her legs, Vicki prowled the halls, her eyes looking for Jeremy as she winced at the volume of the music. It seemed the heart beats and every single sound was synchronizing into one massive rumble. Before she knew it, Vicki was pulled into an empty classroom.

Looking up, Vicki frowned when she noticed Stefan. "What, you're following me now?" She snapped.

Stefan sighed. He was trying to help her. If she didn't get control, he'd have to kill her… And Stefan didn't want to kill Vicki, she was innocent in all this. She was a ploy in Damon's game. "You didn't really give me a much of choice." Stefan replied.

"Let me out of here." Vicki snapped.

He was trying to help; why couldn't she see that? "You shouldn't be here Vicki. Crowds like this, it make it even harder for you to keep yourself under control."

"I'm fine." She insisted.

Stefan cocked a suspicious brow. "Really?"

"Mmm hmm."

"No headache? Your stomach's not screaming at you? You're not feeling lightheaded or anxious or cranky like if someone looks at you the wrong way you could just rip their head off? Do you wanna know what that's called? It's called hunger and it's only gonna get worse and worse every minute that you pretend like it's not controlling you." Stefan snapped.

 **…**

Leaning purposely across the table, Carol attempted and failed to direct Damon's attention to her generous cleavage as Damon sipped his drink. Arching a brow, Damon smirked. "So you need vervain?"

Carol nodded, leaning back in her seat while picking up her drink and taking a small sip. "Yes. My husband and I only have left what his parents left him, and Zach had promised that he could supply us with more.

"Well, I talk to him all the time. So why don't I just ask him?" Damon smirked as Carol grinned and took another sip of her martini.

"Hmm."

"Mmm. How much do you need? I mean, how many people, you think?"

Carol mentally counted the people in her mind. "Well, there's our children, of course."

The vampire nodded. "Of course."

"And, um, friends, family, and everyone on the council." Damon nodded and arched a brow.

Playing coy, Damon acted confused. "The council?"

Carol nodded. "Zach knows how many. But I am so late. My husband is not going to be happy with me."

As Damon sent Carol a smothering smile, he could practically smell her arousal. Wow… She was pretty desperate. "Well, are you happy with your husband?"

"You're flirting with me." Carol grinned.

"You flirted with me first." Damon retorted.

Carol let out a school girl giggle. "True."

"Let me escort you to the school. It's not safe out there alone. I mean, I've seen 10 vampires tonight." Damon winked as Carol flushed.

Standing up, the older woman straightened her dress out. "Heh. Well, if only the real ones were as easy to find."

"How's that search goin'?" Damon asked, trying not to sound too curious.

Carol didn't catch on, instead she smiled. "Oh, we had the founder's party, and anyone who arrived during the day was eliminated as a suspect."

"Oh."

"And all the rest were just dead ends, so mmm mmm, I gotta go."

"Okay."

 **…**

Scanning corridors, Elena frowned when she had no luck finding her younger brother. All Elena knew was Vicki was somewhere at the carnival and so was her brother… Although she couldn't see Jer, Elena sighed in relief when she opened a classroom door to find Stefan and Vicki.

"Thank God." Elena breathed out as Stefan turned to her.

Furrowing his brows in confusion and concern, Stefan frowned. "What's the matter?"

Flushing, Elena fidgeted on the spot, playing with the ends of her costume sheepishly. "I lost track of Jeremy. I was worried." She admitted.

Before Stefan could reply, Matt came from behind, his eyes narrowed suspiciously when he noticed Stefan's hold on his sister's shoulders. Squaring forward, Matt's stance was defensive. "What's goin' on?"

Vicki tried to move out of Stefan's grip as the fellow vampire frowned. "Hey. uh, everything's fine." Stefan told Matt.

The older Donovan sibling's eyes flickered between Matt's defensive stance and Stefan. An idea came to mind as Vicki dragged her voice out. "I told you to quit bothering me." Vicki informed Stefan, knowing it would cause Matt to take action and be the perfect distraction for her to get away.

Frowning, Elena shook her head. "No. Vicki, don't do this."

Ignoring Elena, Vicki frowned, pushing Stefan's hands off her shoulders as she turned to Matt. "Matt, he won't leave me alone."

Stefan was momentarily distracted as Matt pushed his shoulders, squaring up at him. "You need to back off, man."

Glancing between the two, Elena frowned. "Matt, it's...it's okay."

Seeing the commotion between the two, Vicki took this as a chance to run away. "No, it's not okay. What the hell is your problem?"

Just as Stefan was about to reply, Elena cut in. Glancing around, her eyes widened when she saw Vicki was gone. "Stefan. She's gone."

Stefan looked around, frowning as Matt pushed him. As his irritation grew, Stefan pushed Matt back, his eyes flashing dark for a moment, reminding himself of his ripper days.

"I'm trying to help her." Stefan snapped.

 **…**

With his phone in his hand, Jeremy walked down the halls, looking out for the brunette he loved. Yes, Jeremy Gilbert loved Vicki Donovan. Jeremy's parents had always told him he'd know what true love was when he was older, but at the age of sixteen, Jeremy knew what true love was. He loved everything about Vicki Donovan. From her long, brown wavy hair to her big green eyes, Jeremy even found her short height adorable.

In his mind, it was almost as if they were Romeo and Juliet, if Romeo and Juliet were drug users. Jeremy was cut out of his thoughts when a hand grabbed him.

Jumping, Jeremy grinned in relief when he met eyes with Vicki. "Whoa. Vic, you scared the hell out of me."

The girl grinned, sticking out her tongue. "Sorry. I'm sorry."

Instead of replying, Jeremy leaned in and placed a passionate kiss to her plump lips, playfully nibbling her lower lip in the process. Pulling away, Vicki grabbed his wrist before the two ran down the halls, heading towards the parking lot.

 **…**

With his eyes trained on the Bennett witch, Damon frowned when he noticed Caroline wasn't near her. He needed that crystal… At first, Damon had thought Caroline would be in the hospital with Dawnie, but when he had spotted the blonde, he knew that wasn't the case. Some friend Caroline was.

Growing more irritated by the second, Damon walked over to the witch.

"So where... Where'd Caroline run off to?" Damon asked.

The witch looked up, her eyes widening slightly in fear which soon seeped away. She was a witch, grams had shown her how to do some minor some spells, if need be, she could take him down. She could start fires with her mind, she wasn't scared of him.

"Do yourself a favor, Damon, and don't ask me about Caroline." Bonnie snapped, clutching the paper cup in her hand as Damon snorted.

Taking an intimidating step forward, Damon's blue irises glared down at Bonnie. "Oh, Bonnie. So loyal."

Bonnie stood her ground, narrowing her eyes threateningly. "Just stay away from her and from Dawn." Bonnie snapped firmly.

Chuckling, Damon was about to let out sarcastic, snarky comment when he noticed the glowing jewel around the witch's neck. No, she didn't… "Where'd you get that?"

"From a friend." Bonnie reported.

Clenching his jaw, Damon glared at the jewel around the Bennett witch's neck. Stupid Caroline… "Caroline. You know that's mine, don't you?"

Bonnie shrugged. "Not anymore."

Snorting, Damon's eyes glared into Bonnie's, sending chills down her spine. His eyes were beautiful yet terrifying at the same time. "Funny. I'd like it back, please."

"I'm not giving it to you. I'll give it to Caroline, and she can give it to you if she feels like it." Bonnie replied.

As much as Damon wanted to wrap his hands around the pretty little witch's neck and strangle the life out of her, something reminded him that Emily Bennett wouldn't be happy, after all, he had promised to protect her blood line. Dead or alive, witches were a pain in the ass.

Nodding mockingly, Damon smirked. "Or I could just take it right now-" Damon grabbed the jewel that hung around her neck, pulling his hand away in shock when it burnt him. Bonnie took this opportunity to run away.

 **…**

As Stefan attempted to pick up on Vicki's scent, Elena scanned the halls, calling out her brother's name as she passed multiple people wearing similar clothing to Jeremy. Both Stefan and Elena were unaware Vicki and Jeremy were outside, kissing…

Pulling away, Jeremy ran his fingers across her cheekbones. "I was so worried about you."

Smiling at his concern, Vicki nodded. "I'm fine now, but... I gotta leave."

Furrowing his brows together, Jeremy let his hands drop to his sides. "Wh... What? Where?"

"I gotta get out of here, Jer. I just... I can't live at home with Matt. He just doesn't get it." Vicki replied, frowning at Jeremy's expression. He looked like a lost puppy.

Shaking his head, Jeremy frowned. He couldn't lose her, not again. He'd just got her back. "No, you can't. You can't just leave."

"Come with me. If you come with me, we can be together forever." Vicki urged.

She could turn him into a vampire, they travel all over the world for entirety… They'd have all the time in the world, just them two. There wouldn't be Elena or Matt trying to keep them apart.

Nodding, Jeremy leaned in, kissing Vicki. Playfully nibbling on her lower lip, Jeremy ran his hands down her back. Moaning, Vicki bit his lower lip, a little too hard as blood began to drip from the wound.

Unable to resist, Vicki began to suck the blood from the wound, enjoying the taste as Jeremy tried to pull away. "Okay. Yeah. Ow. You're taking that costume a little too far. What? What is it? Vicki! Vicki, what the hell?! Oh, my god. No! stop! Vicki! No! Ah!" Vicki began to furiously suck the blood from his lip as Jeremy tried to push him away.

Hearing the commotion from outside, Elena sprinted outside. Her eyes widened when she saw Vicki attacking Jeremy. Looking around for a weapon, Elena clumsily picked up a wooden plank.

"Vicki, no!"

The brunette spun round in annoyance as Elena hit her with a wooden plank. Growling in annoyance, Vicki kicked Elena back and threw her into a large pile of garbage nearby. Reaching up, Elena whimpered when she noticed her head was bleeding.

As she climbed out the garbage pile, Stefan grabbed Vicki and held her against the bus. "Vicki!" Jeremy cried as Vicki disappeared.

Glancing around warily, Stefan frowned. "Go. Get inside. Go!" He called out as he searched for Vicki.

Elena didn't hesitate to grab Jeremy and run for the entrance to the party. But before she could, Vicki appeared in front of them. Elena screamed as Vicki pushed Jeremy away and grabbed Elena. Clearly the brunette was attracted to Elena's bleeding as she plunged her fangs into the doe eyed girls neck.

All Stefan could focus on was Elena's painful screams as he stabbed Vicki in the heart with a wooden stake. Vicki immediately dropped to the ground, her face turning gray as Elena held her bleeding wound.

Jeremy pushed past Elena, grabbing Vicki's graying body as he cried out. "Vicki! Vicki! Vicki! Vicki!"

Stefan held the teen back as the gray veins of death sprouted across her previously tanned skin. All Elena could hear was Jeremy's heartbreaking screams as he watched the girl he loved pass.

"Get him out of here." Elena mumbled, tears streaming down her cheeks as her brother cried.

As Stefan glanced at Jeremy, he pulled out his phone and called Damon.

His brother's annoyance was clear through the phone. "What?"

"I need your help." Stefan replied, glancing at Elena as she sat down beside the girl's body.

 **…**

Seeing her granddaughters trembling hands, Shelia Bennett frowned, taking notice of the tears that brewed within Bonnie's beautiful brown eyes. "What happened to you?"

Bonnie sniffed, glancing down at the crystal. "I did something. I don't know. It came from my necklace."

Glancing down at the necklace, Shelia's eyes widened in surprise. That was the necklace that belonged to Emily Bennett; Bonnie's great-great-great-great-grandmother.

"Where'd you get that?"

Shrugging, Bonnie let out another sniff. "It's part of my costume. It's a piece of junk."

Shelia shook her head, grabbing one of Emily's grimoires where a photo was. The photo was of Emily with the crystal necklace. Passing the book to Bonnie, Shelia watched as the girl's eyes widened.

The picture was of a young, attractive caramel toned girl. Her hair was scraped into an up-do, and the crystal that was hung around Bonnie's neck, was on the woman in the picture.

"That piece of junk belonged to one of the most powerful witches of our family. Let me show you. There she is. Emily Bennett. Your great-great-great-great-grandmother. And there's your necklace."

 **…**

As Elena sobbed by Vicki's body, Damon arrived, a shovel in his arms as he made his way towards Elena's side. Vicki's body was now dark gray and the veins of death were prominent all over her body.

"You should go. I got this."

The doppelgängers head snapped up, her eyes puffy as she glared at him. Shaking her head, Elena got up, anger pulsing through her veins as she thought back to her brother and Matt. All of them had lost so much and both boys loved and needed Vicki. Although she had wanted Vicki to stay away from Jeremy, it was only for his safety… Elena had realized how much her brother loved the girl…

Meeting his eyes, Elena glowered at the vampire. "You did this. This is your fault." She spat.

Damon scoffed. "You confuse me for someone with remorse."

"And Dawn? What is she going to think?"

"You confuse me for someone who cares for her." Damon replied.

Elena shook her head. "Then why did you take her to the hospital, huh? Why did you help her? If you didn't care for her or her baby, why didn't you let her bleed out? Why didn't you let her baby die? Huh?!" Elena snapped.

"As I've said many times, I don't care about her. It's all a game." Damon lied.

The doppelgängers flashed with fire as she tried to hit Damon. Grabbing her wrist, Damon squeezed it roughly, keeping it in the air. "None of this matters to me. None of it."

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she shook her head. Damon let go of her hand as she cried. "People die around you. How could it not matter? It matters, and you know it."

Before Damon knew it, Elena had hit him round the face. Damon was surprised by the impact as his head turned. Ouch… Looks like Katherine's doppelgänger was used to getting in cat-fights.

With his eyes flashing dangerously, Damon eyed her wound. "You need to leave. Your wounds are bleeding and you need to leave."

Without another word, Elena stormed off.

 **…**

As Elena headed back to her car, blood dripped down her neck as tears clouded her vision. "Elena! Hey, have you seen... Whoa. Wh... What happened?"

Blinking her tears away, Elena plastered a smile on her face. "Nothing. Some idiot with some fake blood got me. I'm gonna go home and shower."

Matt nodded and looked around worriedly. "I... I can't find Vicki. She totally bailed on me."

Elena's breath hitched. His sister was dead and he didn't even know. "I don't know where she is." Elena mumbled, wincing at the words as Matt nodded.

"Is this what I'm in for, a lifetime of worrying about her?" Matt grumbled bitterly as Elena smiled sadly.

"You're a good brother, Matt."

Matt smiled and nodded. "Yeah, maybe she went home."

"Maybe."

"Okay."

Elena hurried off to her car as she failed to prevent her tears. Getting in the front seat, Elena let out loud sobs as she pressed her head against the steering wheel.

 **…**

Getting out her car, Elena sighed in relief when she noticed Stefan waiting on her porch for her. He had taken Jeremy home while Damon sorted Vicki's body out. Elena wasn't sure what Damon was going to do about the body and she didn't want to know…

"Where is he?" Elena asked, wiping her eyes.

Motioning to the house, Stefan replied. "Inside."

Nodding, Elena hurried up the stairs and towards Jeremy's room. Without knocking, she entered to find Jeremy sobbing on his bed. Sitting beside him, Elena grabbed his hand. "Do you understand what happened tonight?"

Shaking his head, Jeremy frowned. "No. I don't understand. I mean, I know what I saw, but... I don't understand."

"She was going to kill me." Elena explained sadly.

Jeremy nodded. "Now she's dead. Vicki's dead."

"I'm so sorry, Jer." Elena mumbled.

Burying his head in his sister's lap, Jeremy sobbed as Elena hugged him back, running her fingers through his hair. "Make it stop. It hurts."

"Shh, shh, shh, shh. It's okay. It's okay." Elena cooed, continuously running her fingers through his locks.

Looking up at Elena, Jeremy frowned. "Why does everybody have to die on me?"

Elena's eyes watered. "Oh, my god. come here." She pulled him into a tight hug.

 **…**

As Elena exited the house, she was relieved to find Stefan was still sitting on the porch. Seeing Stefan himself was upset, Elena sat beside him, placing her hand in his as she frowned.

"Are you okay?"

Stefan had wanted to help her. He wanted her to survive and live a normal-ish life… "I, uh... I wanted to help her. But instead, uh...How's he doin'?" Stefan replied, glancing at Elena who frowned, her fingers still enter winded with his.

"He's a mess. I don't want him going through this again. He's just a kid." Elena admitted.

He had just turned sixteen, he shouldn't have to deal with these situations. Neither should Elena, she was seventeen, she'd soon be eighteen… It wasn't fair. But then again, life wasn't fair. Jeremy and Elena had lost their parents and now Jeremy had lost the girl he loved. The girl who had got him through the loss of their parents…

"Elena, what can I do? I... What can I do to help? I'll do anything." Stefan asked.

The doppelgänger couldn't help but smile at his sweetness. "Can you make him forget?"

Stefan was clearly surprised by her request. "Elena..."

"Stefan, please. I don't know how he'll ever get past this. I just want him to forget everything that happened." Elena begged as Stefan frowned. His compulsion wasn't strong, if he did compel Jeremy, chances were he'd remember… Which would have been a rather sticky situation.

"If I did it, there's no guarantee that it would work... Because of who I am. Because of how I live. I don't have the ability to do it right."

"I can do it. If this is what you want... I'll do it." The two jumped to see Damon stood on the porch, his hands in his pocket, one absent-mindedly touching Dawn's ultrasound picture. Elena stood up as Damon arched a brow.

Elena nodded. "It's what I want."

"What do you want him to know?"

The brunette thought for a moment. "I want you to tell him that Vicki left town and she's not coming back. That he shouldn't look for her or worry about her. He's gonna miss her, but he knows it's for the best."

Damon nodded and headed inside. As Damon made his way up the stairs, Elena sat back down next to Stefan. "Part of me wishes that I could forget, too... Forget meeting you, finding out what you are and everything that's happened since."

"Is that what you want?"

"Yes, it is. Because I don't want it to be like this. I don't wanna feel like this. But I can't. With everything that's happened... I can't lose the way I feel about you."

Before Stefan could reply, Damon came back out. "It's done."

Elena then walked back inside the house as Stefan and Damon exchanged glances.

 **…**

With his eyes scanning the hospital doors, Abraham walked along the halls, concentrating as he tried to find Dawn's room number. Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four! Finally! Knocking on the door, Abraham shifted on his feet as doctors walked past him, eyeing his rather bad mummy costume. Flushing, Abraham entered the room.

He sighed in relief when he noticed Dawn sitting up in the bed, her legs crossed as she watched the TV opposite her.

"Dawn!"

The blonde turned in his direction, her eyes wide as Abraham smiled and sat beside her.

"When Caroline told me you were in here I was so worried! I hope you're okay, I mean you seem okay, but you could not be okay emotionally, if you know what I mean. Great, now I'm babbling… is something wrong?"

The blonde darted up from the bed, her heart rate going at ten to a dozen as she held a warning hand out. "Get out."

Abraham furrowed his brows together. "Dawnie."

Her voice was a low whisper. "Get out."

When he made no move to leave, Dawn closed her eyes. Suddenly sparrows, crows, finches, mockingbirds and blackbirds flew through the window. Glass smashed everywhere but Dawn as Abraham groaned, falling to the floor and shielding his face from the shards. The birds swerved around Dawn and flew at Abraham. Opening her eyes, Dawn watched as they pecked him, him screaming as nurses and doctors ran in and began ushering her out…

What… Did she… Was that her? She needed Bonnie…

* * *

 **First of all, I'd like to apologize for the mere amount of Dawn in this chapter… The only reason Dawn is pretty much only in flashbacks is because of the amount of scenes she has in the next chapter. So please don't hate me D:**

 **Plus, whats everyones opinion on Abraham ;D? Sorry for any mistakes.**

 **Also, I won't be updating next week as it is my birthday and it gives me time to catch up on chapters (I'm currently writing chapter 13). It also gives me time to work on my other stories. I have 2 Dean Winchester fanfiction's coming out soon.**

 **One has a similar plot to 'We might fall' in a way. The OC is dealing with the loss of hers and Dean's 6-month baby while trying to get the bottom of why she can absorb pain and see ghosts. I'll put a note out when it's published in case any of you guys want to check it out.**

 **Thanks again!**

 **In response to:**

 **Somebodywhocares: Thanks for the review.**

 **Brittstarr1199: Aw that's so sweet! I love Katherine too but you know what Katherine's like. Although Katherine will hold a soft spot for Dawn and her baby due to the similarities between Katherine and herself. Both of them were abandoned by their families due to their pregnancies and both were innocent (Human Katherine). I don't think Katherine will threaten the baby unless she has to as Katherine Pierce looks after herself. They do need to kiss. I think we should all just grab their faces and smush them together, lol. Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Gracfully: Glad you're enjoying it so far! Thanks for the review.**

 **PirateWizardThief: Thanks, that's so sweet. And haha, was my Riley threat coming through then;D. I thought a boy would be a little different, I find in stories that people either have twins (a boy and a girl) or a girl. Thanks for the review!**

 **Guest (chapter 10, Jul 26): He is a sweetie! Thanks for reviewing.**

 **Adhara Snow: I messaged you but I'm not sure if you got it. I'll repost the message here.** **So a pregnancy should last 9 months and is commonly two weeks overdue or underdue. In season 3 episode 6, it is Stefan and Elena's one-year anniversary. As 12 months are in a year, mid-season 2 should roughly be when Dawn should give birth. Hope that clears things up a bit. The timeline is honestly what I struggled with as I wanted Dawn to give birth in season 3, but even if she is a supernatural being, she isn't going to pregnant for a year.**

 **123456789: I never get tired of your kind comments! Thanks for reviewing regularly** **J**

 **Flowerchild23: Aw thanks). Im glad your liking it. Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Ghostlysights: Damon was all valiant! Does he, why lol? Thanks for reviewing.**

 **CWTV-TeenWolf-Lover: Aw, im glad your enjoying it! Thanks for reviewing.**

 **Sbritt264: I'm glad you're enjoying it. Thanks for reviewing.**

 **Audrey: Aw , merci pour l'examen !**

 **Klandgraf2007: Aw that's so sweet! Feel free to comment your baby-father theory** **J** **. Thanks for the lovely review!**

 **Natalie: I completely agree. Although Damon still feels for Katherine (After all, he has spent 146 years mourning her and trying to get from the tomb), but he also feels for Dawn in a way he had never felt for Katherine. I can't say exactly as it is revealed in the next chapter, but I can say you are red hot (in the cold and hot game). Dawn's mother isn't directly relevant to Dawn's powers, but she does have something to do with it. Great theory, you're almost right, but I can't say yet! Thanks for the review.**


	12. t w e l v e

**Congratulations to CrimsonClover26, BrittStar1199, Natalie and anyone else who guessed close to or what Dawn was!:)**

* * *

 **1X08 162 candles**

 **Dawn Ellis played by Dianna Agron**

As the night sky blushed purple, black and blazed with stars, a petite blonde stared out the hospital window. Despite what was happening around her, the pregnant blonde couldn't help but marvel out the window. The sky looked beautiful that night.

Each twinkling star seemed to be in its proper place, filling empty spaces. Shadowy, ribbon-like clouds were flowing around the full moon, each crater on the moons bright face was visible. The moon, the stars, the streaming clouds, everything glowed with its own ominous light.

Taking Dawn's trembling hand in her own, Bonnie sent the blonde a concerned smile as she sat beside her on the hospital bed. The contact caused Dawn to turn to her, snapping her out of her admiration of the sky.

After receiving a call from an emotional Dawn, Bonnie had immediately called her grams and drove them straight to the hospital. Whatever Dawn was going through, it seemed to be getting more powerful, and yet they had no idea what she was.

"It's okay, Dawnie. We'll get the bottom of this." Bonnie said softly, sending her another small, sympathetic smile as her grams walked through the door.

The older woman wasn't anything like Dawn had expected her to be. Shelia Bennett was rather youthful looking with almond brown eyes, smooth coco skin and curly long hair. Despite the fact the woman was over sixty-years-old, she looked as if she was in her late forties!

"This hospitals damn hot chocolate is jacked." Shelia complained, holding three cups pressed together as Dawn raised a brow. Bonnie just giggled, used to her grams' behavior.

Sitting in the spare chair beside Dawn's bed, Shelia passed a cup of hot chocolate to Dawn and Bonnie, before sipping on her own.

Rolling her eyes playfully, Bonnie smiled. "Grams, this is Dawn."

Shelia scoffed. "I know, honey. This is the girl who won me fifty bucks off Elena." Shelia grinned as Dawn snorted, smiling as the older woman sent her a playful smile.

"Grams, focus!" Bonnie scolded teasingly as the woman rolled her eyes.

Pulling out an old Grimoire, Shelia smiled and placed it on the pull out hospital table. "This is Bonnie's ancestor's Grimoire, Emily Bennett." Shelia explained, pausing as she noticed the confusion on Dawn's face.

Turning to Bonnie, Shelia raised a brow. "You told her yet?"

Shaking her head sheepishly, Bonnie turned to Dawn. "I know this sounds crazy… But I'm a witch…" Bonnie closed her eyes, waiting for laughter. Instead of laughter, Bonnie opened her eyes to find Dawn looking at her in amazement.

"As in… A witch-witch. Like Harry Potter?" Dawn gasped, her lips parted as Shelia chuckled.

Pulling two candles out her bag, Shelia smiled. "Not exactly, hun. But similar." Placing the candles beside the book, Shelia closed her eyes for a moment as the candles lit out of nowhere.

Dawn gasped. "You're a… you're a witch too?!"

Bonnie smiled as Shelia nodded. "Mmmhmm. Now let's see if we can figure out what you are."

 **…**

The Salvatore boarding house was sinisterly quiet as Stefan lounged across the couch, his eyes closed and his chest heaving gently. 'Wuthering Heights' by Emily Brontë was sitting on his chest, open from where he had been previously reading. As Stefan shifted in his sleeping state, the old book fell to the floor, landing on its spine. Stefan immediately bolted up, his eyes scanning for danger. However, when his eyes landed on the book, he sighed.

Placing the rather old book onto the coffee table, Stefan ran a hand through his locks. Even as a child, Stefan had always been a light sleeper. On the night of his sixteenth birthday, Damon had claimed Stefan had officially turned into a man and had given him his first glass of whiskey. The whiskey had practically knocked him out. It was strange that at the age of sixteen in the 1800's, you were considered a man… How times had changed.

Stefan was cut out of his thoughts by a loud noise that echoed around the large boarding house. "Damon?" Stefan called out, standing.

Resisting the temptation to lay back down on the couch and catch some more beauty sleep, Stefan stood, looking around. As the curtains rustled, Stefan headed towards them, his posture defensive. Before he could do anything, a flash of blonde hair jumped on him. Lexi?!

As the blonde grinned, Stefan's eyes widened. "Lexi!?"

Stefan would have recognized the familiar face anywhere. Grinning coyly, Lexi fluttered her lashes innocently. "Hi."

Not long after he had been turned, Stefan had met Lexi while mistaking her for a human. This was in his ripper days and Lexi had been set on helping him get his humanity back, not that he had wanted to. She had stuck around him through thick and thin. And no matter how many times he pushed her away, she had always been there for him, and Stefan was eternally grateful for that.

She had changed a lot. Usually her long blonde hair was styled in tight curls, but it seemed with the new era, she had decided to ditch the curls and straighten her hair. Lexi was physically a very beautiful, young woman. Lexi had tanned, blemish free skin, small hazel-green eyes and a very curvy figure. At the age of 21, Lexi had been turned and had lived for over three-hundred years. She was practically twice the age of Stefan!

"What are you doing here?"

Rolling her eyes, Lexi pulled Stefan into a tight hug. Just by the tight squeeze on his shoulder, Stefan could tell Lexi had missed him. And he had missed her greatly.

"How could you even ask that?" Lexi laughed, leaning her head against Stefan's firm shoulder.

Satisfied by her answer, Stefan sighed. "I missed you."

The blonde smiled, pulling away from the hug. "Happy Birthday."

 **…**

The following morning, Stefan and Lexi were lounging in Stefan's room. All the curtains were closed, allowing no natural light in the room, after all, not all vampires had daylight rings. Resting her hands behind her head, she playfully kicked Stefan's leg.

Rolling her eyes, Lexi sat up, holding a hand up to her best friend. "Stop. I don't know, some freak shot at me with wooden bullets. I bail in under sixty. And why is a news reporter hunting vampires?"

Stefan shrugged. "I don't know who knows about us. That guy did. There could be others. Do me a favor, while you're here, please be careful."

Furrowing her brows together in confusion, Lexi eyed her best friend. "Why stay? I'm headed to New York for the weekend. Bon Jovi in the Garden. 'Wanted dead or alive', it's our theme song. It'll be a blast."

Stefan decided to not mention he was more of a Taylor Swift fan. As much as he loved Bon Jovi, Stefan's genre of music had changed over the past century. Although Bon Jovi was a classic, Taylor had a charm about her. Plus, not that he'd tell anyone, but Tay-Tay had understood his heartbreak!

"Do you think he would actually remember us? That was a pretty crazy weekend, huh?"

Lexi rolled her eyes, grinning mischievously. She playfully tugged on his arm. "We can _make_ him remember us. Come on! Let's go. I mean, what's keeping you here?"

"I told you, her name is Elena."

Standing up from the bed, Lexi eyed the room. Her hazel orbs narrowed at the photograph of Katherine Pierce. Although she hadn't personally met Katherine, Lexi hated the slut who had broken Stefan's heart and caused chaos between him and Damon…

Walking over to the desk, Lexi's fingers dusted along the corners of the old photograph. "Let's hope she's better than the last girl you got all sprung over." Turning to Stefan, the blonde vampire held the photograph up.

Frowning, Stefan jumped up from his bed. Snatching the photo from Lexi's hands, Stefan placed the photograph back. "You didn't even know Katherine."

"Cause' if I did I'd kick her ass. Little bitch. Speaking of... Where's Damon?" Lexi grinned.

Stefan couldn't stay broody for long as he shook his head. Lexi was the complete opposite of Stefan. She was fun, wild and uncontrollable. And when he was with Lexi, Stefan was the same. He didn't have to be the usual broody Stefan Salvatore. He could let go and not worry about being judged.

"Inflicting misery somewhere. You gonna be okay here alone? Cause' I got some things I gotta take care of." Stefan snorted.

The blonde smiled playfully. "It's not exactly like I can go anywhere. And you and Damon are the only ones with these nifty little daylight rings. I have a mood ring from '75! Trade ya?"

Her hazel orbs flickered down to the great hunk of lapis Lazuli as Stefan smiled in amusement. "Doesn't work that way and you know it."

"Yeah."

As Stefan began walking towards the exit, Lexi's eyes flickered around the room, wondering where to snoop first. Before the blonde could begin digging through Stefan's underwear draw, Stefan paused. Turning back to the blonde, Stefan smiled faintly. "Hey Lex. I'm really glad that you came here."

"What are we doing for your birthday? It's not everyday a guy turns a hundred and sixty-two years old."

Throwing his head back, Stefan closed his eyes, groaning. "Really?"

The blonde grinned mischievously. "Oh yeah."

 **…**

Placing her hand on Dawn's, Shelia smiled sadly. They had tried many spells and yet… Nothing. All of the experiences Dawn had been having, pointed to her being a witch, but Shelia knew Dawn wasn't a witch. She was clearly and unknowingly more powerful than a witch could ever be.

With one hand on her bump, Dawn leaned back, a frown on her delicate features. "I… I don't understand… You said… You said one of these spells would figure it out." Dawn mumbled.

The blonde's brows furrowed as sunlight flooded through the large, hospital window. Bonnie was beside her grams, flicking through one of her family's Grimoires for anything useful. However, so far it seemed nothing but mumbo-jumbo was in the books.

Throwing the book down in frustration, Bonnie frowned. "Nothing this one!"

Before she could continue, the brunette coughed as dust bounced up from the book. Crinkling her nose in disgust, Bonnie shook her head. "Gross."

Reaching over, Shelia thumped Bonnie on the head, causing the brunette to jump and scowl.

Rubbing the tender spot, Bonnie sent her grams a bewildered look. "What was that for?!"

"For slamming the book down."

Dawn shook her head, a faint smile on her features. As amusing as the situation was, Dawn just wanted to find out what the hell was happening in her life.

 **…**

After having a route through Stefan's draws, rifling through his desk and finding a secret Taylor Swift CD stash, Lexi was drained. So after flicking through the albums with raised brows, Lexi decided to take a nap. After all, being a vampire was hard work and acquired a lot of concentration!

Damon, who noticed the blonde hair that was spurting from underneath the covers, decided to investigate. Was St Stefan cheating on Elena? Creeping into the room, Damon rolled his eyes when he noticed who it was. Great… Lexi.

The blonde vampire had never been his biggest fan, but the ever since the year 77' she despised him. When his humanity had been switched off after the Augustine experiments, Lexi had found him and tried to get his humanity back on. After getting fed up of her sticking to his side, Damon tricked her into sleeping with him on a rooftop before leaving her to burn, with the only shelter a small plank above a locked door.

Jumping on the bed, Damon poked the sleeping vampire, lying beside her.

Clearly not enjoying Damon's incessant poking, Lexi shifted on the pillow, turning on her side, grumbling as she did so. As her hazel eyes flickered open, Damon smirked. "Boo."

The younger vampire watched in amusement as Lexi groaned, scowling at the sight of the vampire. "Hello Lexi. What an unexpected surprise." Damon mused dryly.

Scoffing, Lexi rolled her eyes, still dreary from waking up. "Unexpected surprise? I think the wrong brother went back to high school."

"How long are you here for?" Damon replied, ignoring her comment.

The blonde gave him a disbelieving look. "Just for Stefan's b-day."

Amusement laced over Damon's features as he titled his head to the side, much like a puppy would. "Oh, you mean you didn't come all this way to see _me?_ "

Snorting, Lexi shook her head, slightly amused. "That's it Damon. After a century I finally realize death means nothing without you. Do me." She mocked dramatically.

Pouting, Damon leaned closer. "Why are you so mean to me?"

Lexi laughed, shaking her head. "Uh, have you met you? You're not a nice person."

"Because I'm a vampire."

The blonde's amusement vanished in a matter of seconds. Being a vampire didn't make you a bad person, being a bad person made you a bad person.

"But you're only the bad parts." Lexi replied.

"Teach me to be good." Damon purred, grabbing her by the neck and squeezing. His fangs descended as the prominent veins appeared.

Almost effortlessly, Lexi peeled his fingers off her neck. "I'm older and that means stronger."

The blonde grabbed him by the neck, squeezing with force. Damon winced, trying and failing to push Lexi's hands off his neck.

Wheezing, Damon winced. "Sorry."

Lexi grinned in satisfaction as she leaned forward, threateningly. "Don't ruin my time with Stefan, cause' I'll hurt you. And you know I can do it."

"Yeah." Damon winced.

Smiling, Lexi released him and stood up from the bed. As she strutted away, Damon scowled, rubbing his throat.

 **…**

Sending Dawn a comforting smile, Shelia leaned forward. "It seems we're gonna have to do this the old fashioned way."

Arching a slender brow, Dawn rubbed her bump comforting. "What do you mean? S-Sorry that sounds so rude…" Dawn mumbled, shifting uncomfortably.

The older woman immediately tensed, a feeling of dread washing over her. Although Shelia wasn't quite sure what was supernatural about Dawn, she knew that it had some sort of connection with witches, perhaps even other supernatural beings. To be quite honest, Shelia was completely baffled. When her granddaughter had informed her of Dawn's empowering yet peaceful aura, she had thought Bonnie was exaggerating, but now she knew she wasn't… Whatever Dawn was, it was linked somehow to witches.

Shaking her head, Shelia smiled. "Don't worry. It's pretty simple, were gonna use a little witchy ju-ju and contact a very old witch."

Dawn's eyes widened in horror. "Like an Ouija board? Because I've seen those movies and they never end well!" Dawn exclaimed, her lips parted in fear as Bonnie giggled.

The young witch smiled in amusement. "She's right grams, most of them end up dead." Bonnie teased.

Shelia snorted in amusement before shaking her head. "The only thing I've managed to find is the mention of a very powerful witch who could be contacted. Maybe she knows what you are."

Bonnie and Dawn exchanged glances before the blonde averted her eyes to her baby bump. She had to do this, for her little boy. As if she was some supernatural creative, chances were, her baby boy was. Maybe he wouldn't be, Dawn didn't know. But it was better safe than sorry.

"Okay." Dawn nodded.

"Okay?"

"Okay."

 **…**

After Shelia smuggled the ancient Ouija board in her handbag into the hospital, Bonnie lit some candles with her mind, which was something Dawn was still getting used to. Closing the curtains, Shelia placed the dusty board onto the hospital table, all while keeping an eye out for any wandering nurses. Something told Dawn the nurses wouldn't believe the spirit board was a monopoly board…

Rubbing her bump affectionately, Dawn couldn't deny the pit of anxiety that was gathering in her gut. Glancing at the board, Dawn was fairly surprised.

Although she had never actually seen an Ouija board in person, Dawn had seen movies where they had used the boards. However, most of the time, the users of the board usually died…

Before her eyes was a triangular, wooden board. On the bottom of the board was a long rectangle that contained what Dawn assumed was Latin, letters while in the middle was a circle. Deep patterns and tunnels ran around the area of the board, intertwining and connecting to each other. It wasn't what Dawn had pictured an Ouija board would look like, but Dawn didn't say anything, Shelia clearly knew what she was doing.

 **…**

Swinging the glass around in his palm, Damon frowned when he noticed he had run out of bourbon. Standing, Damon headed over to the alcohol cart, which seemed to be mostly stocked with whiskey and bourbon. Well, at least Zac had taste. Key word; _had_.

With a rough grip, Damon flicked the top off the bottle. Glancing between the bottle and the glass, Damon shrugged before taking only the bottle of alcohol back to the seat he had been residing. As he placed his feet back on the coffee table, Damon took a large swig, titling his head back in satisfaction.

As he did so, Damon winced as the sound of paper creasing penetrated his supernatural hearing. Sitting up, Damon placed the bottle back on the table and reached into his leather jackets pocket.

The vampire frowned when he noticed the corner of the ultrasound had folded over. Scowling, Damon attempted to smooth the corner over by gently pushing it down with his thumb.

Satisfied, Damon moved his thumb away, allowing himself to look at the picture. Two eyes, one little nose, opened lips, which had a thumbed jammed between them and a small heart. The little boy was beautiful enough to erupt a warmth that echoed around his cold body.

Frowning, Damon shoved the picture back in his pocket, not bothering on how it creased as his thoughts wandered to Katherine. As much as he _liked_ the pretty little blonde, Damon had to remember Katherine. Although he wasn't sure on what feelings he seemed to be harboring towards the blonde, Damon did know he loved Katherine; she was his true love.

 **…**

Shuffling in discomfort, Dawn watched as Shelia held a needle out towards her finger. Almost reluctantly, Dawn placed her index finger over the circle. Noticing the blonde's evident distress, Shelia sent her a small, yet consoling smile. "Just a droplet."

Turning to her newfound friend, Bonnie smiled comfortingly. "It's okay, Dawnie."

Unable to turn back, Dawn winced as Shelia poked her skin with the needle. Pins and needles ran down the tip of her finger as blood slowly began dripping into the engravings of the circle. As the blood slowly ran through the tunnels, both Bonnie and Shelia winced, rubbing their heads as pain crossed over them.

Although the pain was hardly a stabbing pain, it was enough to make the two wince. It was almost as if Dawn being in pain… Hurt the two witches… But how was that possible?

Noticing the way the two were frantically rubbing their aching heads, Dawn frowned in concern, all while absent-mindedly glancing at her bleeding finger.

"Are you okay?" Dawn asked nervously, glancing between the two.

The witches nodded in synch. "Mmm, just a little headache. Nothing to worry about. Now, time down to business." Shelia replied, taking Dawn's bleeding finger and rubbing it along the tunnels.

"Keep your finger there, no matter what. Okay?"

Dawn nodded worriedly as Shelia jointed hands with Bonnie, while both of them kept one hand on the board. Dawn ignored the stinging in her finger as the two began to chant in what Dawn assumed was Latin. For a moment, Dawn felt nothing in till a painful sensation flooded around her body. Gasping, Dawn's eyes rolled to the back of her head, her finger moving from the board as her body jolted backwards. Dawn fell back on the bed, her legs flailing as she kicked the board and her eyes turned white. That last thing Dawn could remember was the sound of Bonnie yelling.

 **…**

 _As Dawn's eyes flicked back open, she noticed she was no longer in the darkened hospital room. No, she was in a field. Dawn's breath was caught in her throat when she realized she was no longer wearing the dreaded hospital gown and yet the silk dress she had been wearing in the dream._

 _But it seemed the field had changed a lot since her dream. It was darker, more sinister. The maple trees that had once stood tall, were slumped over, their leaves a dull brown, the white oak tree was completely charred, the grass and flowers had all died, while the pond was full of dead fish, all of which were floating on the surface. The brittle tire swing had been popped and was barely hanging onto the tree. While the sky was no longer covered in the vibrant assortments of colors it had been beforehand. Instead, it was covered in a gloomy canopy of gray as the wind raced around her, causing the tree's to sway. Dawn's hands rubbed her arms as she shivered._

 _"_ _H-Hello?" Dawn called out, hoping that someone, even Selene, was around to tell her what the hell was happening… Hadn't she been doing that weird-witchy séance with Bonnie and Shelia Bennett._

 _"_ _Hello."_

 _The pregnant blonde jumped, whirling around and holding a hand over her heart in surprise. Behind her, Selene stood. The woman had changed… A lot._

 _Selene's open eyes were not entirely focused, they were white and obscured with cataracts so completely that Dawn could no longer see her soft brown eyes. Her auburn hair that had once been braided into a pristine plait was now a powdered white. It was evident Selene's hair was falling out from her scalp, Selene's gray hair was wispy over the scalp, showing signs of pressure sores. Her previously impeccable skin was dotted with age-spots, giving the skin a coffee-stained look, while her jowls hung a good inch below the chin that she jutted outward. It looked as if she had aged a thousand years…_

 _As she smiled, her wrinkles around the mouthing deepening as she did so. "I suppose your confused." Selene croaked out._

 _Her voice was so quiet; Dawn almost didn't hear. The violent wind didn't help either. "Y-yes. I-I-I, I don't know what's happening." Dawn mumbled, looking around her as Selene smiled weakly._

 _"_ _I know… But first, concentrate." Selene commanded._

 _Dawn arched a brow in confusion. "W-What?"_

 _When Selene didn't reply, Dawn took a deep breath. For a moment, nothing happened. "Wha-" Dawn began, but was cut off by old Selene._

 _"_ _Concentrate." She repeated._

 _Glancing at the woman, Dawn took another deep breath, emptying her mind. Although she didn't know why Selene wanted her to concentrate, Dawn decided it was best not to question the sassy, yet sweet old Selene._

 _As Dawn was about to give up, her breath hitched in her throat as she watched the field change before her eyes. The brown, brittle grass began to change into a healthy green while the slumped flowers raised, the color returning to them. As Dawn watched in amazement, her eyes widened while the process speeded up. The dead leaves resurrected and returned to the tree's as the wall of maple trees, stood straight, their posture no longer slumped._

 _The great oak tree turned white as the tire swing fixed itself. Spinning around, Dawn watched in awe as the floating dead fishes twitched, returning to life, before Dawn's very own eyes. As a grin formed on her lips, Dawn tingled with power as the wind stopped, turning into a calm breeze as the canopy of gray turned into a vibrant blue. The sun came out as Dawn twirled to watch Selene's elderly appearance turn into the youthful, beautiful woman she had seen in her 'dream'_

 _Selene smiled, touching her face as looked at Dawn. "You're ready."_

 _The blonde furrowed her brows together. "Excuse me?"_

 _"_ _If you weren't ready, you wouldn't have been able to do any of this-" Selene paused, holding out both of her delicate, wrinkle-free hands,_

 _Uncertainly, Dawn nervously took Selene's hands in her own. As she did so, Dawn gasped at the feeling. The ground shook under them as a gold aura surrounded them. A branch of the white oak tree gently snapped off, twisting and bending into a crown as bluebells, daises and other bright flowers were twisted into the halo shaped crown. The floating crown dropped on Dawn's head, surprising her._

 _Suddenly, Selene let go of her hands. Dawn's eyes flickered open, her hands automatically going up the crown in confusion. With an adoring smile on her face, Selene slowly bent down, sitting on her knee's, practically bowing to Dawn._

 _"_ _Mother." She crooned softly._

 _"_ _Mother of nature." Selene continued, the witch taking in the pure feeling of being in mother nature's presence._

 **…**

Holding the phone to her ear, Caroline scowled deeply. Shaking her head, Caroline rolled her eyes. "Elena!" She whined.

The cheerleader was currently in her bedroom, wearing a plain tank-top and a pair of bikini styled underwear. Letting out a huff, Caroline shoved a stray piece of champagne, blonde hair behind her ear. "C'mon, it'll be fun."

Caroline could hear Elena's frown through the phone. "I don't know, Care. Dawn doesn't seem like the type to want a party." Elena pointed out.

Although Elena had a point, not that Caroline would ever admit it, the cheerleader wanted to celebrate with Dawnie. Anyways, why was Elena protesting? Caroline was pretty sure she knew her best friend of eleven years!

"C'mon, picture it! Blue balloons, blue bunting, fun games, presents and cake! Who wouldn't enjoy that!" Currently, Caroline was trying to convince Elena to help with the baby shower she was planning, but the brunette wasn't too sure.

The brunette hesitated. "Okay then."

Caroline raised a brow. "Okay?"

"Okay. I'll help you organize it."

Caroline squealed in delight.

 **…**

Running a trembling hand through her hair, Dawn couldn't deny the power that freely pulsed through her. Although Dawn had felt a weird tingle in her body back when she had caused the earthquake, it was nothing in comparison to the electricity that was currently flowing through her body. After Selene blurted out she was 'mother nature', the woman had explained many things to her,

There was no god. The words had made Dawn numb. Everything she had believed in was a lie. A tale of some sort… She had told Dawn about how the earthquake had been from her emotions, how her almost losing the baby and her spiral of emotions had destroyed the haven.

Holding out her palm, Dawn stared at it, watching as wind spiraled up, twirling into a miniature tornado before her very eyes. It was all so surreal… It was almost like she was in a dream… But she wasn't, this was reality. A reality she could control. Dawn shivered at the thought.

She was a monster. Millions had died from the earthquake she had caused. And how would her being the so-called mother nature, affect her baby? Would her little boy be a monster like herself?

Dawn was snapped out of her thoughts by Bonnie, who placed a hand on her shoulder. "Dawn."

Wincing, Dawn allowed the tornado to cease as she looked up at Bonnie. The reason they were her friends… It was because they were attracted to her aura. The reason they were all so kind to her all of a sudden… Dawn winced. They didn't like her, they were attracted to her 'mother nature' aura.

"We need to get back, are you sure you're gonna be okay?" Bonnie smiled.

Nodding, Dawn placed a hand on her bump. "Y-Yeah. I just need to think, is all… It's, uh, a lot to take in." Dawn mumbled as Shelia nodded understandingly.

 **…**

Crossing her legs, Elena leaned back on the couch, daydreaming as her thoughts wandered to Dawn. So far, everything was okay, but that didn't mean she was out of the danger zone. She could easily miscarry and there was no way in preventing it… A shiver ran down her back at the thought.

The doppelgänger had been that caught up in her thoughts, she jumped when Jenna jumped on the sofa, scowling miserably. Glancing at her aunt, Elena arched a brow. For a moment, the only sound in the room was the sound of a pencil scribbling on paper. Behind the two wallowing girls, was Jeremy. Although Vicki had 'left town', he was okay.

With her hazel eyes trained on Elena's, Jenna jutted her lower lip out into a pout. "You're wallowing." She accused with narrowed eyes.

"So are you." Elena quipped in response.

The strawberry blonde beside her let out an exaggerated sigh, blowing the stray red strands, which had fallen out of her messy bun, out of her face. "My wallow is legitimate. I was dumped."

In an attempt to comfort her aunt, Elena leaned forward. "Yeah. Well, Logan's a jerk."

Jenna let out a sarcastic laugh, shaking her head. "You didn't get a brush-off e-mail say: 'I'm leaving town. See ya'."

Before Elena could reply, Jeremy craned his head in their direction, looking up from his homework to half-heartedly glare at the two girls who were currently wallowing in self-pity. "Wanna keep it down over there?" Jeremy called out.

At the sound of his voice, both beauties whirled round to face him. Glancing at the paper in confusion, Elena cocked a curious brow. Although she couldn't see the exact thing on the paper from the couch, Elena could make out at least eight paragraphs. Was he doing… Homework?

No… Jeremy didn't do homework. Maybe he was… Writing down Taylor Swift lyrics? Or plotting Stefan's death? Hmmm. "Why? What are you doing?" Jenna asked.

Rolling his eyes as if the answer was obvious, Jeremy grabbed the pencil and continued to write. As he held the pencil in a delicate manor, Jeremy didn't look towards the two as he replied. "Homework."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Elena and Jenna exchanged bewildered glances before snapping their gazes back to Jeremy. The two were in shock, Jeremy Gilbert did not do homework! "Since when do you do homework?"

"I gotta finish this. I'm way behind and I have a quiz tomorrow, so..." Her younger brother replied, not meeting their gazes.

Once again, the strawberry blonde and brunette exchanged amazed yet suspicious glances. "What do you think? Alien?" Elena asked Jenna.

Stroking her chin jokingly, Jenna shook her head. "Some sort of replicant." Jenna insisted.

Scoffing, Jeremy looked up. "He can hear you."

 **…**

Shuffling through the paperwork that concerned Vicki Donovan, Liz ran a hand through her hair, shaking her head before throwing the paper work aside. All the statements that had been handed in were claiming Vicki had gone away for a while, but Liz wasn't convinced. With vampires on the rise and Logan's disappearance and assumed death, Liz didn't believe that Vicki had 'left town'…

Before she could query anymore, her phone went off, causing the woman to jump. She was beyond tired and stressed. And no matter how many cups of coffee's she had consumed, Liz was still exhausted. Dawn was eating away at her mind. The poor girl… Liz could only hope she'd be okay…

Grabbing the phone, Liz sighed. "Yeah. Send him in."

Hanging up, Liz straightened her posture as a familiar head of black hair walked in the door. Liz barely payed attention to the small, brown parcel in his hand. "Mister Salvatore, come on in. Could you get the door for me?"

"Sure."

Upon her request, Damon closed the door behind him, smirking before sitting opposite the blonde Sherriff. "I understand from Mrs. Lockwood that your uncle is out the town."

Damon nodded. "Yes, he is. But I spoke with Zach. He filled me in and asked if I could bring this to you."

Placing the box on the desk, Damon lifted the lid, revealing a stash of vervain. Liz's eyes widened in relief as she pulled the box closer. "Vervain."

"That's all we have at the moment; I hope it's enough." Damon lied swiftly.

Gingerly touching the purple herb, Liz nodded. "It's a small circle... Founding families, a few city officials."

Damon nodded again. "And your deputies, of course right? Are we any closer?"

Sighing, Liz leaned forward, her brows furrowed. "I think our facts are wrong. We've always believed that vampires can only come out in the dark. What if that's changed?"

Furrowing his brows in confusion, Damon leaned forward, fighting the smirk off his lips. "So is that even possible?"

The blonde Sheriff shrugged. "We've exhausted every other option. We have to consider the vampire may be walking around during the day. Right in front of us."

"Hm. So what's the next step?"

Liz hesitated for a moment. She honestly didn't know what the next step would be… "We're now looking at anyone new to town, since the deaths began. Should turn up a suspect or two."

"And I, of course, will do anything I can to help." Damon informed her, smiling insincerely as the Sheriff sighed in relief.

 **…**

With a small smile on her face, Bonnie walked into Elena's room. Currently, the brunette was contented. After a call from the doctors, Dawn was finally able to be taken home and as Caroline was setting up a welcome home party, Bonnie had been gifted with the task of picking up Elena and taking Dawn home.

As she walked into Elena's room, Bonnie's eyes softened when she saw Elena bundled in the covers, her wild, bed-hair giving away her hiding spot.

"You up?" Bonnie called softly, unsure if Elena was asleep. After all, it was 9:00AM on a Sunday.

Elena's voice was muffled through the covers. "No."

Without replying, Bonnie walked over to her best friend. Sitting beside Elena, the young witch attempted to pry the covers from Elena's head. With no luck, Bonnie watched as the brunette pulled the covers tighter around her body. Protesting, Elena's whines were barely audible. "No, no!"

Sighing, Bonnie looked at the large lump of covers. "Why haven't you called me back?"

"I'm sorry." Elena mumbled from under the covers.

"Are you gonna stay in there forever?" Bonnie teased, a tender smile on her lips as Elena continued to huddle under the covers.

Without looking at Bonnie, Elena nodded through the covers. "Yep."

Sighing, Bonnie nudged the brunette. "Move over-" As Elena folded the covers down and rolled over, Bonnie snuggled in besides the brunette, a worried frown on her face. Maybe Dawn's getting out of the hospital would cheer her up?

"I'm officially worried. What's going on?" Bonnie continued.

Sighing, Elena rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Just by looking at her best friend, it was evident she was having a rough time. Elena's big doe orbs were edged red, indicating she had been crying. And who could blame her? Some would say Elena was being stupid, she had lost her parents not long ago and yet she was crying over Stefan. But not Bonnie, the witch knew Stefan had brought Elena out of her depressed shell. Stefan had made Elena the girl she had been before her parents died… And yet again, she was alone.

"I'm tired of thinking... Of talking I..." Elena trailed off, looking away.

Sending her an encouraging smile, Bonnie grabbed Elena's hand. "Can I get a one-line version so I can at least pretend to be helpful?"

Intertwining her fingers with Bonnie's, Elena smiled sadly. At least Bonnie was trying. What would she have done without her beautiful best friend? "Stefan and I broke up." Elena admitted.

Bonnie's face expression dropped. Her smile turned into a frown as she squeezed Elena's hand. "I'm so sorry. Are you okay? Right stupid question. I know I've been kind of MIA when you need me the most. I suck."

Trying to smile, Elena shook her head. "You wanna make it up to me. Get my mind off of it."

Thinking for a moment, an idea came to mind. "Just remember you asked for it."

Before Elena could say any more, Bonnie jumped out of the bed and closed Elena's window. Walking back over to the bed, the witch grabbed one of Elena's spare pillows and ripped it open.

As Bonnie emptied the feathers onto the bed, Elena sat up. "Hey!"

"Be patient."

"Okay."

Looking back up at the girl, Bonnie frowned. "I need to swear you to secrecy."

For a moment, Elena hesitated. She was already keeping the vampire secret and Vicki's death; could she really handle any more secrets? As Bonnie arched a brow, Elena bit her lower lip. "It's kind of a bad week for that kind of stuff."

Sending her the biggest puppy dog eyes she could muster, Bonnie jutted out her lower lip. "Swear, 'cause I'm not supposed to be showing you this."

Reluctantly, Elena nodded. "Okay, I swear."

"There's no windows open, right?"

The doppelgänger furrowed her brows together, but nodded anyways. "Right."

"There's no fan. No air conditioning."

"None. What are you doing?" Elena asked, confused as she glanced down at the pile of feathers.

Bonnie smiled, glancing down at the feathers. "Grams just showed me this. You're gonna love it. You ready?"

"Bonnie, what's going on?"

Instead of answering, Bonnie concentrated as a single feather began levitating in front of her best friend. Elena's eyes widened in amazement and shock as more feathers began levitating and before she knew it, all the feathers levitated.

Meeting Elena's eyes, Bonnie smiled. "It's true Elena. Everything my Grams told me. It's impossible and it's true. I'm a witch."

Marveling the floating feathers, Elena nodded, stunned for words. "I believe you."

 **…**

With a large bag that contained party supplies, Caroline practically skipped along the street as she headed towards the small bakery which was nearby the Grill. Caroline just had to pick up the welcome home cake and hang the decorations and she'd be ready.

As she passed the grill, Caroline paused, scowling when she saw Damon stood outside. Immediately, Caroline tried to walk around him, only to slam into Damon's firm body.

Pressing a finger in his chest, Caroline furrowed her brows. "Look dungeon boy I'm done being your little slave girl. You seriously hurt me, and I will be damned if you think…" Caroline snapped.

Damon's blue eyes dilated as a grin spread across her previously angry features. "Oh my god where have you been? It's really good to see you."

Smirking, Damon glanced down at the bag. "Much better. You wanna throw a party here at the grill tonight."

The blonde frowned. It wasn't like she couldn't plan another party for the night, Caroline just wanted to spend the night chilling with Dawn… "Oh, why don't you do it?"

"Because then Stefan and his BFF won't come. I need a lot of people. Big crowd. Invite everyone." Damon replied, using his compulsion as Caroline nodded.

With her brows furrowed, Caroline's blue-green eyes met his own. "And why am I having this party?"

"Because you're gonna help me solve this town's little vampire problem. And I want my crystal back." Damon replied.

As much as he didn't like the shallow, petty blonde, he knew Dawn cared about the girl. The pregnant blonde was extremely possessive over her best friend and was already unware that Damon had been using Caroline for sex and blood. He had to be careful around Caroline. One bad word from the annoying girl and Dawn would stop talking to him… Wait a minute. Why did he care if Dawn cared for him? Katherine. He needed to focus on Katherine.

Caroline nervously bit her lower lip. "But Bonnie has it."

Damon's voice was patronizing as he leaned down to Caroline's level. "I know that. Get it from her."

 **…**

"So Dawn is… Mother nature and you're a witch…" Elena trailed off, shaking her head as she tried to register the new information.

Nodding, Bonnie smiled. "Crazy, right?"

Elena snorted. "Understatement, Bon."

Letting out a giggle, Bonnie was glad to see her best friend cheered up. "That reminds me! I almost forgot, Dawn is getting out today and Caroline has planned a small, welcome home party at her house. It will just be a couple of us and a cake."

Bonnie wiggled her brows at the suggestion as Elena's doe orbs lit up. "She's getting out?!"

Bonnie laughed. "Cake, Elena. Cake."

Shaking her head at her best friend, Elena couldn't fight the smile off her lips. "Around 12-ish we need to pick her up and take her back to Caroline's, you up for that?"

The doppelgänger scoffed. "Of course!"

Noticing the look on Bonne's face, Elena arched a brow. "Are you okay?"

Bonnie hesitated. "It's just weird, huh. I mean, after all the jokes about being psychic… I really am a witch. And Dawn… She was so confused, weird things were happening to her and… I mean she's mother nature, don't you think that's a little crazy to think about?! She's acting like she's fine, but I know she's not. She's confused about God. If she can control elements, nature and the freakin' earth, does that mean there's a God…" Bonnie trailed off.

"You don't think we're freaks now, do you?" Bonnie asked nervously.

Elena was quick to shake her head. "What, no, of course not! It's a lot to take in, I can't imagine how Dawn is feeling." Elena admitted.

"But there is one thing I don't understand though. If your Grams asked you two to keep all this a secret, why did you tell me?" Elena asked.

Smiling, Bonnie met her best friend's eyes. "You're our best friend. I can't keep secrets from you and Dawn wanted someone to know. She knows she can't tell Caroline and she said you'd understand, something about another secret." Bonnie replied.

 **…**

Draped across the couch, Lexi eyed Stefan's form as he paced the room, brooding, as per usual. Wiggling her brows, Lexi leaned forward, trying to get a smile out of the grumpy birthday boy! "So this Elena girl. She'll come around. I'm sure of it. Have you had sex yet?"

Stefan rolled his eyes playfully. "No"

Scoffing, the blonde sent him a disbelieving look. Shaking her blonde hair, Lexi leaned her head on her elbow, meeting Stefan's green eyes. "Sex always works. I mean you'll rock her world so hard with your vamp sex, she'll be yours forever."

Once again, the younger vampire rolled his eyes, trying to keep a smile off his face. Stefan honestly didn't know what he'd do without the older vampire. "Yeah, but see, this isn't about sex or...or compulsion or any of our other _tricks_. She has to _want_ to be with me on her own terms."

Widening her brown orbs, Lexi scoffed. "Wow. That sounded all mature and grown-up."

Snickering, Stefan faced the vampire. "I'm not getting any older."

Shrugging, Lexi sultry crawled off the couch, rising to her feet as she headed over to her suitcase. Opening the suitcase, Lexi pulled out a blood bag. Piercing the bag with her fangs, Lexi took a sip.

When she noticed Stefan's gaze on the bag, she hesitated. "Want some?" She asked, despite the fact she would never give Stefan the human blood. He wouldn't be able to handle it.

Reluctantly, Stefan grimaced and looked away. "No. Thank you."

Noticing his attitude, Lexi rolled her eyes playfully. "Relax I didn't kill anyone for it. This Phlebotomist I went out with a few times, he's my supplier. Oh don't judge, ok? Listen, I tried the animal diet; lasted three weeks."

"It doesn't matter. Cause if I started again... I just don't know if..." Stefan admitted.

Lexi frowned. He had a point, not that she wanted to rub it in his face. Stefan was haunted by his past and blood lust enough; he didn't need her judging him. "You could stop." Lexi insisted, silently adding on 'with my help'.

Turning to her, Stefan sent her a strained smile. "Lexi, I'd never judge you."

"I'm just jealous of your restraint. I have none. I delight in hedonism. Speaking of which, what are we doing tonight?" Before Stefan could insist 'nothing', Damon walked in the room, a smirk plastered on his lips. Well, nothing was out of the ordinary.

Glancing between the two, Damon's smirk widened. "Funny you should ask."

In response, Lexi rolled her eyes. "Well, I wasn't asking _you_."

"There's a party at the grill. You'll love it. Banquettes, Tacky wait staff, All of Stefan's friends." Damon insisted as Lexi's eyes brightened at the idea. Looking at Stefan, Lexi smiled.

However, unlike Lexi, Stefan didn't seem so convinced. "Yeah, I don't want a Birthday party."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Well, It's not _for you_. It's a _party_ party. No one's gonna know it's your birthday. Caroline's throwing it."

Taking a step towards his brother, Stefan frowned threateningly. "Damon, stay away from Caroline."

Not at all intimidated by his baby brother, Damon rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, Saint Stefan, I'm not gonna do anything to ruin me in Dawnie's good books-" As Damon paused, Lexi arched a brow at this and turned to Stefan questioningly.

"-Anyways, we're friends, it's cool. It's important for the town to see us out and about like normal folk. We need to blend." He continued.

Glancing at the blood bag in Lexi's hands, Damon turned his nose up. "I prefer mine at 98.6." He replied sassily, before walking out the room.

Rolling her eyes at the older brother of her best friend, Lexi turned to Stefan. "Let's Go."

Noticing Stefan's expression, Lexi pouted. " _Please?_ "

 **…**

With Elena's arm wrapped tightly around her waist, Dawn glanced up at the small house. The Forbes' household wasn't much, just a cream house with a freshly mowed lawn, but it was home. As Elena and Bonnie guided her towards the door, Dawn didn't protest to their coddling. All she could think about was how nice it was to be home. Honestly, Dawn would have thought she would have gone insane if she had to stare at them white walls any longer!

"Careful! Careful!" Elena gasped, leading Dawn up the steps to the porch.

As sweet as mother hen Elena was, Dawn couldn't help but wish Caroline had picked her up from the hospital. Don't get Dawn wrong, she loved Bonnie and Elena as friends, even if their friendship was influenced by her being mother nature or whatever, but Caroline had always been there for her. And she couldn't help but be disappointed.

"I'm fine, Elena." Dawn replied weakly, sending Elena a small smile.

When she had been picked up at the hospital, Elena had engulfed her in a hug, claiming it didn't matter she was supernatural and she wouldn't love her any less. Dawn however, had just chuckled and patted Elena on the back. Although she was trying to act as she wasn't completely and utterly freaked out, Dawn was. The words continuously repeated in her head, spinning and whirling as she tried to process them. Witches, vampires and now she was freakin' mother nature!

Big doe orbs met hazel ones as Elena helped Dawn up the stairs. Just because she was out of the hospital didn't mean Dawn wasn't in pain. It clearly was hurting her, even with the medication prescribed by the doctor.

"Okay…" Elena mumbled absent-mindedly as Bonnie stood by the front door, watching in amusement.

As hushed whispers came from inside, Bonnie couldn't help but pray Dawn couldn't hear the voices from inside. As Dawn opened the door, she was met by Caroline jumping out, a party hat on her head.

"Surprise!"

Dawn immediately squealed, placing a hand on her heart, and if it wasn't for Elena, Dawn would have fallen straight on her back. Were they trying to give her a heart attack?

 **…**

After recovering from the initial shock, Dawn had pulled the blonde into a tight hat and before she knew it, a party hat was strapped on her head and she was stood in the Forbes' living room, surrounded by close friends. It seemed like Caroline had gone all out with the party, colored bunting, streamers and balloons were littered around the room.

Currently, Liz, Caroline, Bonnie, Shelia Bennett, Elena, Jeannie and her children; George and Matilda, Matt, Jenna and herself were all gathered in the living room. A square cake with a picture of Dawn and Caroline was sat on the middle of a table.

Shaking her head, Dawn couldn't help but hug Caroline. "I can't believe you." Dawn smiled.

"Well, I am pretty unbelievable." Caroline smirked, flipping her curled hair as Dawn snorted.

"I love you, you know that right?" Dawn smiled.

Caroline grinned. "Who doesn't?"

 **…**

"I don't want to go." Dawn whined, pouting playfully as Caroline tugged her in the grill. Apparently there was another party at the Grill, which Caroline had planned and currently, Dawn was being forced to attend.

Dawn had already attended one social event and that was enough. But despite her protests, Caroline wouldn't have it. Flipping her curled locks over her shoulder, Caroline sent Dawn a delicate pout. "Dawn… It'll be fine, we don't have to stay for long!"

Pursing her lips, Dawn sighed. She had just gotten out of the hospital after a threatened miscarriage, the last thing she wanted was to party.

Sighing, Dawn didn't protest as Caroline grabbed her elbow and tugged her into the grill. Before she could say anything, Dawn had been dragged over to the bar. The blonde flushed when Damon turned around, his eyes running across her body.

The blonde was wearing a figure-hugging, lemon dress with an open neckline and a pleated skirt. She looked pretty. Dawn's makeup was simple while her hair was in a small, messy bun.

"Dawnie. You look ravishing." Damon purred, placing his drink on the bar as Dawn arched a brow.

Eyeing him careful, Dawn took in his drunken posture. "Are you… Drunk?"

Damon smirked. "Why would you say that?"

He watched as Dawn's gaze landed on the multiple empty glasses that were laying around on the worktop. Following her gaze, Damon smirked. "Well then, how did they get there?"

As Caroline awkwardly stood behind Dawn, the pregnant blonde snorted in amusement. Smirking, Damon looked at Dawn's stomach. "You feeling better?" Damon asked tenderly.

Immediately, Caroline's head snapped in his direction, her blue-green eyes narrowed in alarm. Was Damon actually being nice? He had never sounded so caring when talking to herself… Nor did he look at her with the gentleness he did with Dawn... Did Damon like Dawn?

"Yes, thanks." Dawn mumbled shyly. Before Damon could reply, the blonde scuttled away, leaving Caroline and Damon. She didn't need to worry about Caroline being around Damon, he wouldn't hurt her, he wasn't like that.

As he frowned, she awkwardly cleared her throat. "Amazing party, right?"

Turning his gaze to her, he smirked. "Glad you thought of it."

Nodding, Caroline smiled, leaning against the bar. "Well, are you having a good time?"

Damon smiled sarcastically. "Do you have my crystal?"

"No."

The smile immediately dropped. "Then I'm not having a good time."

Craning his head to the door, Damon's eyes stayed trained on the blonde vampire as she walked into the bar, wearing a pair of black skinny jeans, a purple top and jacket. As Caroline was about to reply, Damon walked past her and stood in front of the vampire. "Where's my brother?"

The blonde's nose turned up in disgust at the sight of the raven haired vampire. "He said he'd meet me here."

Damon nodded. "Buy you a—" Before he could continue, Lexi walked past him, leaving Damon alone. The younger vampire pouted. "Rude."

 **…**

Flipping her golden hair over her shoulder, Lexi held the tequila shots in her hands, not bothering to move around people as she roughly pushed through them. Clutching the shots with a tight grip, Lexi plowed into a petite blonde, causing her to tumble to the floor. Gasping, Lexi placed the drinks on a nearby table and held a hand out to the stranger.

"Oh my god. I am so sorry." Lexi apologized as the pretty girl hesitantly grabbed Lexi's hand.

With little effort, the vampire pulled the human to her feet. "It's okay." The human murmured timidly.

Frowning guiltily, Lexi nodded to the bar. "Can I buy you a drink? I suggest tequila." Lexi sung, motioning to the two shots as the blonde shook her head.

"No thank you, I can't drink."

Lexi furrowed her brows together. "What… Why-oh." Lexi's gaze travelled to Dawn's belly.

Flushing in embarrassment, Dawn flushed, shuffling on the spot awkwardly. "Uh… Yeah."

Nodding, Lexi motioned at her bump. "How far along are you?"

"Fourteen weeks. Nearly fifteen." Dawn admitted.

Lexi nodded. "Do you know what you're having?"

"A boy."

The vampire's face lit up as she thought of her brother. Lexi could recall holding his squealing, pink faced body. Wincing at the memory, Lexi tried not to think of her baby brother who had died at the mere age of sixteen.

"I'm Lexi by the way." The vampire introduced, giving the frail blonde a small smile.

Sending a strained smile back, Dawn shuffled awkwardly on the spot, looking around for Caroline as she did so. "I'm, uh, Dawn."

Brown eyes lit up as they met Dawn's hazel ones. "As in Dawn Ellis?-" Once she received a nod, Lexi continued. "I'm his best friend, Lexi." She introduced.

Almost hesitantly, Dawn leaned in to whisper in Lexi's ear. "Does that mean you're a…" She trailed off.

Lexi arched a brow, surprised the girl knew Stefan's secret. "A vampire? Mmmm-hmm."

 **…**

"It's his birthday?!" Dawn exclaimed, her big eyes wide.

Chuckling, the fellow blonde nodded. "Stef has never been the sort to gloat. After all, he is like… Super old." Lexi snorted.

Giggling at this, Dawn shook her head. She quite liked the vampire. Lexi was very nice and honestly reminded Dawn of Caroline. Although the two were quite similar in looks, Dawn thought the vampire resembled Caroline the most with her bubbly, comedic personality.

Arching a curious brow, Lexi looked at the blonde who was trying to smother her giggles. "What?"

"Aren't you three-hundred and something?"

For a moment, Lexi was silent. Blinking, she nodded. "True…" She trailed off awkwardly.

Dawn snorted and watched as Lexi tipped back another shot. "I better go and get him something? What does Stefan like? I hate buying presents for men and the only man I've bought presents for is my father and he always wanted shoe polish and Christian related ornaments-" Dawn's babbling was cut off by Lexi.

"Trust me, Dawn. Stefan will be appreciative towards whatever you get him. You could shit in a box and give it to Stefan and he'd still thank you." Lexi snorted, shaking her head at the thought.

The corners of Dawn's lips perked up in amusement as the blonde threw back another shot. "Now-" Lexi paused to grab another shot. "Here's to me getting wasted and you watching!" Lexi cheered, clinking the shot glass against Dawn's glass of diet coke.

As the two continued, Lexi spotted Bonnie stalking away from Caroline.

 **…**

Frowning, Caroline glanced around anxiously, her eyes scanning for Bonnie or Damon as she fidgeted. After trying to rip the necklace from Bonnie's neck and being shocked, Caroline had been left with a great deal of anxiety and an aching hand. Damon was going to kill her if she didn't get that crystal back… The blonde's lower lip trembled at the thought. She was too young to die, plus she hadn't even met her god-son yet!

Before she could fret anymore, a large body slammed into hers. Narrowed, azure eyes glared down into her own. "Where is it?"

Looking away from Damon's gaze, Caroline shifted nervously. "Bonnie won't give it to me."

Damon rolled his eyes, his patience wearing thin with the blonde. "So rip it off her neck."

"I tried. It shocked me." Caroline mumbled, looking down at her feet.

Scowling, Damon's jaw clenched. "Damn it! Why does it do that? I need that crystal."

Looking up at him, Caroline frowned. "Why are you being like this? I'm so good to you and I'd do anything. It's just some stupid necklace."

"No, you are the only stupid thing here." Before his sharp tongue wounded the blonde anymore, Damon walked away from Caroline. He couldn't say anything he'd deeply regret or Dawnie would not be a happy bunny.

 **…**

Walking out the grill, Damon had to use every bone in his body to refrain from storming back into the grill, telling Caroline how useless and shallow she was before ripping her throat out. Okay, maybe he was overreacting, but he needed that damn crystal. He needed to get out of Mystic Falls' with Katherine and forget whatever weird 'feelings' he had for Dawn. As he exited the grill, Damon's smirk widened when he heard two, fast heartbeats.

"Where are we going?" A female voice giggled.

"No one's gonna see us..."

As the young couple began to kiss, Damon smirked when he realized he had found his victims. Suddenly the girl looked up, her gaze wandering around as she frowned. "Did you hear something?"

"No, it's cool. There's no one coming down here." The boy replied, clearly wanting to carry on making out as he tried to bring the girl back in for a kiss, only to be rejected.

Just as the young girl was about to comment, Damon flashed besides them, his sharp weapons descending from his gums and digging into the boy's neck. As the boy dropped to the floor, the girl screamed wildly, but immediately stopped as she met Damon's eyes.

 **…**

Eyeing the dead, bloody body, Liz frowned. Turning away, she motioned to the deputies. "Keep this contained."

Nodding, the lanky, rather clumsy officer paddled down the steps, shining his flashlight on the body. As he did so, he paused, almost dropping the torch when he saw the frail, sobbing girl. She had her knee's pressed tight against her chest, her head buried in her knees and her arms wrapped around them. As the beam landed on her legs, the girl looked up, tears streaming down her face.

"That's not all" The officer commented.

Turning to see what he meant, Liz's gaze landed on the girl who was roughly around sixteen. Glancing at the frightened witness, Sheriff Forbes frowned. One of the officers wrapped a blanket around the trembling girl's shoulders as he led her to the blonde Sheriff.

Nodding, the Sheriff met her eyes. "Hey, hey. Did you see what did this?"

Hesitantly, the frail girl nodded.

"Tell me everything you saw." Liz encouraged.

 **…**

Bumping into Stefan, Dawn smiled up at him. "Hi!"

Arching a brow at her sudden giddiness, Stefan chuckled. "Hey? What's got you so hyper? I saw you with Lexi, she didn't spike your drink, did she?" Stefan joked.

Shaking her head, Dawn shyly smiled. "It's your hundredth and... Whatever birthday!"

Groaning, Stefan playfully frowned. "Lexi told you." He moaned.

Poking his stomach, Dawn pouted. "You didn't give me time to get you anything. I'll have to get you something tomorrow." Dawn claimed. Before he could protest, the blonde skipped away.

 **…**

"Dawnie." Damon chimed, a smirk on his lips as he faced the pretty blonde. His smirk widened in amusement when she jumped at the sound of his voice.

She must have been thinking deeply as her features were screwed up in concentration. Turning to face the raven haired vampire, Dawn frowned. "Hi."

"Hi?"

"H-Hi." Dawn repeated, confused as Damon shook his head.

Downing the remains of his drink, Damon leaned closer to the blonde. "Did I tell you how ravishing you look?"

Tensing, Dawn shuffled away. "Y-yes."

Frowning, Damon eyed her curiously. That certainly wasn't the reaction he wanted… "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

Damon sent her a pointed look. "Dawnie." He warned, patting the chair beside him.

Hesitantly, Dawn planted herself on the seat. "Something's on your mind." Damon stated bluntly, waving the bartender over.

"Tell me." He urged.

With some encouragement, Dawn found herself spilling everything to Damon. To her father kicking her out, to her being mother nature.

 **…**

With two shots in her hands, Lexi approached Damon, who was drinking alone at the bar. Hopefully the many shots she had downed would prevent her from biting Damon's head off straight away. Placing the shots down on the bar, Lexi met Damon's big blue eyes. "All right, the shots are a bribe. I need you to answer a question. What are you really doing in Mystic Falls?"

Instead of answering, Damon smiled sarcastically. "Have you tried The Brittle. It wins award."

Rolling her eyes, Lexi scowled. "Cut the crap."

"Okay, I have a diabolical master plan." Damon replied dryly.

Shaking her head, Lexi eyed the two shots. "What is it?"

Glancing at the door, Damon smirked as the Sheriff walked in. "If I told you it wouldn't be very _diabolical_ , now would it?" Damon replied knowingly.

The older woman wrapped an arm around a trembling brunette's shoulder, whispering into her ear as she did so. "Look around, let me know if you see anything."

Looking around the bar, the girl tensed when she noticed Damon and Lexi sitting at the bar. Timidly, she pointed to them. Without hesitation, Sheriff Forbes walked over to Lexi and stabbed a syringe of vervain into her back.

"What are you doing?!" Damon falsely exclaimed as the deputies grabbed the blonde. Turning to Damon, Liz nodded. "Thank you for the vervain; now if you'll excuse me."

With that, Liz followed the deputies out with an unconscious Lexi.

 **…**

Clutching the stake in his palm, Damon didn't hesitate to plunge the stake into the blonde. As the stake pierced Lexi's heart, the girl's mouth dropped, her eyes glazing over as Stefan and Elena watched from round the corner, horror laced onto their features'.

"Why?" Lexi gasped, gray veins tarnishing her pretty features.

Leaning in, Damon pushed the stake in completely. "It's part of the plan."

As he let go of the stake, Lexi fell to the floor, Damon's figure towering over her. Turning to the Sheriff, false sympathy laced over his sharp features. "You okay?"

Shakily, Liz looked down at the vampire. Nodding, she ran a hand through her hair and glanced at the busy grill. "Thank you. Get her in the car quickly."

Turning to Lexi's body, Damon nodded. "All right."

 **…**

Peering down at the blonde who was curled up in her covers, Matt shifted uncomfortably. "You gonna be okay?"

Instead of directly replying, Caroline frowned, looking up into Matt's big blue eyes. "No. Do you ever feel like there's not a person in the world that loves you?"

Matt frowned down at Caroline. "Life can be a little rough."

He'd never understand how someone as beautiful as Caroline could be so insecure. But then again, it seemed her confident exterior was blocking her apprehensive interior.

"I just wish..."

He furrowed his fair brows. "What?"

Letting out an exaggerated sigh, Caroline frowned. "Wish that life was... Different."

Making his way towards the door, Matt nodded. "Yeah, me too."

Before he could leave, Caroline's voice cut him off. "Please... Don't leave me alone."

For a moment, he hesitated. But he was soon snapped out his trance as he awkwardly made his way over to Caroline's bed. As the blonde shuffled aside for some room, Matt flicked his shoes off and shrugged his jacket off before climbing in besides the blonde. Wrapping his arms around her waist, Matt tensed as Caroline buried her head in his chest.

 **…**

"Told you I'd take care of it." Damon chimed suddenly as Stefan approached him.

His baby brother's nostrils were flared, his fists were clenched and his jaw was clasped. Anger was evident on Stefan's features.

Without a second thought, Stefan ran at his brother and attacked him. The two fought in till Stefan pinned Damon against the wall. Despite his weak diet of Bambi and Tod, Stefan easily overpowered Damon due to the anger that was pulsing through his veins.

"Come on, I did this for you. To get them off our trail." Damon snapped, pushing one of Stefan's hands of his throat.

Reaching into his pocket, Stefan's fingers dusted along the top of the wooden stake. "You never do anything for anyone but yourself." With those words, Stefan pushed the stake into Damon's chest, just missing Damon's heart.

"You missed!" Damon choked out.

The younger brother shook his head. "No. You saved my life. I'm sparing yours. We're even. And now we're done."

With his words lingering, Stefan dropped Damon to the ground and walked away.

 **…**

Carting her jacket over her shoulder, Dawn stumbled in Caroline's bedroom, her eyes drooping sleepily as she threw her jacket onto the desk chair. Dawn was beyond exhausted, and after spilling almost everything to a tipsy Damon and being ditched by Caroline, Dawn just wanted to curl up in bed and go to sleep.

As she switched the lamp on, Dawn almost screamed when she noticed Matt Donovan spooning with Caroline. For a moment, all Dawn could do was stare…

Grumbling under her breath how she'd have to sleep on the couch, Dawn grabbed her pajamas and turned the lamp off before heading to the Forbes' couch.

* * *

 **Hey guys! I know you guys were a little disappointed that Dawn wasn't in the last chapter that much, so I'm sorry about that. Anyways hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! If you haven't read the last authors note, I've just published a new Dean OC fanfiction, so if you wanted to check it out it would be highly appreciated. Sorry for any mistakes, I am exhausted writing this!**

 **In response to:**

 **babypanda468: Thanks for the review:)**

 **BrittStar1199: Don't go blaming before it is confirmed, who knows what could have happened to Dawn or who by? ;) The little baby boy does need to hurry up! And very close, congratulations for guessing correctly with what Dawn was! Thanks for the constant flow of lovely reviews!**

 **Leah Tatyana Nicole: Nothing had been confirmed about rape or Abraham raping her. Just some hints dropped now and again;) Thanks for the review.**

 **Kim: The reason there was little Dawn in the previous chapter was because of the big news in chapter… Ten? I think, and this chapter. With the news of Dawn having a boy and her being mother nature, I tried to calm it down in the next chapter in an attempt to space it out so it wasn't like a corny soap opera. Anyways, hopefully this chapter made up for the lack of Dawn!:) Now, your theories are very interesting and creative, but sadly not right. I actually haven't ever seen Hitchcock, I just wrote it, haha. Thanks for the review:)**

 **Gracfully: Aw, thanks, hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for reviewing.**

 **Skyxch: Thank you, hun.**

 **Random2friends: Haha, thanks for reviewing!**

 **Belladu57: Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Somebodywhocares: poor lonely Dawnie ^_^ Thanks for reviewing!**

 **123456789: There was much more Dawn and Dawn/Damon moments in this chapter!**

 **Adela: Aw thank you, and I'm glad you're enjoying it! Thanks for reviewing.**

 **GhostlySights: Haha, omg. He is a little too nice, *hint* *hint* ^_^ Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Sbritt264: That's so sweet, I'm glad you're really enjoying the story so far! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for the lovely review.**

 **Audrey: Merci pour l'examen !**

 **Viltho: That's so kind! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for the sweet review.**

 **HCookie: First of all, I love your profile picture! Katherine is honestly one of my favorites on TVD, I ship her so bad with Stefan tbh. I used to ship her with Elijah but then he never showed when she was dying, so I came to the conclusion he wasn't good enough for Kitty-Kat! Anyways, back to your comment, haha. Very interesting theory with Tyler;D. Thanks for the lovely review!**

 **Flowerchild23: Nothing had been confirmed about rape or Abraham raping her. Just some hints dropped now and again;) I can't tell you if your right or not as it would be a huge spoiler, but I promise everything will be revealed when Dawn and Damon get closer! Thanks for the constant, nice reviews!**

 **PirateWizardThief: Thanks, hun. Remember what I told you about Abraham ;). Thanks for reviewing!x**

 **Kat: That's really sweet, thank you for the lovely review!xx**

 **Alenaares: Interesting theory! And sorry about the lack of Dawnie in the last chapter, hopefully this chapter makes up for it! Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Natalie: Nothing had been confirmed about Dawn's baby daddy, so keep that in mind;). See, I always thought Katherine felt something for Damon, just like she did with Stefan. Her feelings for Stefan were always stronger because of the doppelgänger fate, but she admitted to having some feelings to him. The thing was Katherine is, she's a complex character. She gave birth at either sixteen or seventeen, had her daughter snatched from her arms, was disowned by her family and forced to leave, used by Klaus, found her family brutally murdered and spent five hundred years running… I think she suffered way too much for a girl of seventeen and when you watch her when she was human, she was just a naïve, broken girl. I don't like how she was to Elena, Damon, Jenna or Rose and Trever, but I think she's easily the character who has been through the most. She's very misunderstood and I think she's a character you either love or really don't like. The only thing I hated was when she took over Elena's body, I completely agree that it was cruel and horrible, but then again, Elena was the reason she was human and had 'taken everything' from her. Dawnie is quite Kawaiiaaa ._. No worries, haha. Thanks for reviewing.**

 **Ajahane: Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Tay927: Interesting theory! I'm glad you're enjoying it and all your questions will be answered In upcoming chapters. Thanks for reviewing.**

 **CrimsonClover26: Mother nature;). Thanks for reviewing!**

 **time-twilight: Thanks for updating!**

 **Anna.B: There is much more Dawn in this chapter! I haven't actually watched Teen Wolf before, I'm currently too busy watching Supernatural and The Vampire Diaries! But it is on my 'to watch' list. It will be revealed what happened to Dawn in future chapters, but first I need her to grow closer to Damon. Plus, I'll give you a hint, let's just say both Klaus and Damon will hit the roof! Yeah, I didn't want him pining for three girls but I didn't want to completely ignore Katherine as he had spent 145 years waiting for her. Well, season 1-3 is one year so I figure season 2 would accurately be the right time for her to give birth. I plan to have her pregnant when Rose dies, so she'll give birth any time after 2X12 where she'll be heavily pregnant. Thanks for reviewing!**

 **: Estou contente por sua gostando até agora! Graças para a revisão**

 **Guest: Haha, enjoy the update. Thanks for reviewing!**


	13. t h i r t e e n

**1X09 History repeating**

 **Dawn Ellis played by Dianna Agron**

The death of Vicki Donovan was still fresh in the air, and as Dawn placed a comforting hand on her bump, the frown didn't leave her lips. Vicki had been young, she had a whole life ahead of her… And worst of all, Matt had no idea. Granted, Dawn had never been close to Matt, or even Vicki, but she knew they also didn't have the easiest of life's. Her fingers continued to caress her bump affectionately as she tried not to wallow in the loss of Vicki.

Maybe what she was feeling had something to do with her being mother nature, Dawn couldn't be quite sure. But what she did know, the death of the innocent girl was upsetting her. However, as far as Dawn knew, there was nothing she could have done to help Vicki.

The last couple of days had been extremely overwhelming for Dawn. First she had a threatened miscarriage, that she was having a baby boy, that Bonnie was a witch and she finally found out that she was mother nature. Ever since she was 'crowned' and received her complete powers, Dawn's body was on fire.

It was like she had stuck her fingers in a turned on plug. Her powers were electrifying, leaving a tingling sensation in her toes. The feeling of the power pulsing through her veins made her feel more alive than she ever had before. It was exhilarating and honestly, Dawn felt like she could face the world. But that didn't mean the feeling of anxiety went away.

Part of her wanted to fully embrace being mother nature, but the other half told her not to, to suppress her powers, that she was a freak… Not only was she experiencing a conflicting power struggle, she was worried that her being the so called mother nature, would affect her little boy.

Running her fingers across the growing bump, Dawn smiled. Her little boy.

"Dawnie?"

As she craned her neck to look at her best friend, Dawn smiled. Caroline, who looked as if she had just woken up, ran a hand through her messy hair. Glancing around, she shifted on her feet nervously. "Have you, uh, seen anyone at all?"

The pregnant blonde felt her lips curving into a small smile. "You mean a certain blond haired footballer? No, not at all."

Caroline's blue-green eyes widened in surprise as her lips parted. For a moment, Caroline was stunned for words. Shaking her head, Dawn smiled and patted the empty space on the couch beside her. Understanding the small gesture, Caroline climbed beside Dawn, shuffling so she, too, was under Dawn's blanket. As Caroline continued to shuffle in an attempt to get comfortable, Dawn giggled. Soon enough, the blonde got comfy, her head resting on Dawn's bump.

"Before you say anything-" Caroline began, but was cut off by Dawn placing a finger on her lips. "-You didn't sleep with him." Dawn finished.

Nodding, Caroline sighed in relief, but then furrowed her brows together. "How did you know?"

Dawn snorted. "When I got in you were both asleep, fully clothed and you were completely passed out." Dawn giggled.

For a moment, Caroline contemplated the words. Realization kicked in as Caroline sat up to face her best friend. "Wait, where did you sleep then?"

"The couch. Now continue, Mrs. Donovan." Dawn teased.

The cheerleader's cheeks flushed pink as she playfully yet carefully elbowed Dawn. "So I got super drunk and start blabbing all self-conscious things and he was comforting me. I then could hardly walk because of the tequila, so he took me home. I asked him to stay and he did. It's pretty embarrassing really." Caroline blushed.

Dawn shook her head, frowning as she grabbed the blonde's hand. "What about Damon?"

"I've moved on from Damon. Anyways, he obviously likes you." Caroline replied, rolling her eyes playfully as Dawn raised her brows in surprise. Damon didn't like her, did he? He couldn't… Someone like him deserved better than a pregnant screw-up like herself…

Changing the subject, Dawn shuffled awkwardly. "So, what are you going to do about Matt?"

"I don't know…" Caroline admitted. "Hopefully I'll be able to see him again. He was so sweet last night…" Caroline silently added on that Matt had treated her better in one night than Damon ever had.

Dawn nodded. "I don't know how me and my little boy feel about a man invading in on our Caroline!" Dawn joked.

The fellow blonde grinned. "Don't worry, the only man I will ever love, is this little one." Caroline replied, placing a hand on Dawn's belly. Smiling at this, Dawn leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Caroline's cheek. "Care, do whatever makes you happy. I'll be there for you no matter what." Dawn promised.

Touched by the blonde, Caroline smiled and leaned her head against Dawn's shoulder. "Thanks, Dawnie."

"It's fine, Care. Remember to tell me the juicy details." Dawn joked, referring back to when Caroline had asked Elena for details on her and Stefan.

Smirking, Caroline glanced down at Dawn's belly. "Don't worry, Dawnie. I could never keep anything from you."

The smile vanished from Dawn's features as she thought about her being mother nature. She was keeping that from Caroline… But then again, Caroline had never believed in any sorts of mystical creatures. Even as a child, Caroline had claimed the tooth fairy was a myth along with Santa Claus. She had never believed in fairies or even mermaids, but yet she believed in the whole 'prince charming' thing. Dawn knew her best friend wanted a handsome man to sweep her off her feet and put her on a white horse, and as unrealistic as it was, Caroline deserved her prince charming.

 **…**

As Caroline bathroom hogged yet again, Dawn sat on the small, freshly changed bed. The two girls had gotten so distracted, they almost forgot about school. School… How Dawn loathed it, the stress of her failed and overdue assignments was really piling up on her. Despite the fact Liz continued to point out school wasn't the most important thing at the minute, Dawn disagreed. If she didn't get good grades, how would she get a good job and provide for her son? Liz had claimed she could get Dawn a job within the police department, due to her being Sheriff and all, but Dawn knew she'd never be taken seriously if she took the job. Also, she couldn't depend on Liz, it wasn't fair on the older woman.

Glancing up at the door, Dawn rolled her eyes playfully when she heard the shower was still running… Leaning back against the bed, Dawn placed her hands behind her head and crossed her legs.

She had history today, meaning she had a completely new teacher… Great. But at least that meant she had a completely clean slate. Sighing, Dawn closed her eyes for a moment, trying to control the pit of anxiety that was bubbling in her stomach. Although she didn't know much about the mother nature thing, Selene was helping her control her powers and understand what she was. It turned out, if her emotions overran, her powers would. Which explained the earthquake and the hospital Hitchcock bird situation.

"Dawnie! I'm done! Get your cute little butt in the shower!" Caroline sung, strutting out the bathroom with a towel tightly wrapped around her body.

Without another word, Dawn walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. As Caroline got changed, Dawn slowly undressed, her eyes avoiding the mirror as she tried not to look at her pregnant body.

She was officially 15 weeks pregnant now. It was crazy to think that in 26 weeks, she'd have her little boy in her arms. It was slightly worrying to be honest. According to the baby manual Caroline had purchased, her baby was now in a proportionate size, his body had now caught up with his head in terms of growth. The baby boy in her stomach was no longer the size of a lemon, he was now the size of an orange, around 11.5cm's long. Although her baby's eyelids were fused shut, he was able to recognize light and apparently, if she were to shine light on her bump, he'd move away from it. The small being in her stomach had begun developing his sucking, gasping and swallowing skills, and now he was able to hear Dawn's voice. She was told by the doctor to chat and sing to the baby in her stomach, which Caroline had already begun when Dawn was merely 5 weeks pregnant.

As her pregnant bump caught her eye, Dawn grimaced. A faint line ran down her bump, which the doctor had informed her was 'linea nigra'. He had told her it was nothing to worry about and was common to develop. Apparently it would fade after her baby was born. But that didn't mean Dawn had to like the annoying mark. Despite the fact her bump had been rather large anyways, Dawn was now finding she had to adapt her sleeping, sitting and driving position to accommodate it. Turning away from the mirror, Dawn frowned.

Without another thought, Dawn stepped into the shower, leaning back against the warm water as it trickled down her back, sending her into a state of tranquillity. As she did, Dawn closed her eyes, however the black faded to white as Dawn gasped, leaning against the bathroom tiles for support.

 **…**

 _"Mother."_

 _Jumping, Dawn spun around to find Selene staring at her. Blinking in surprise, Dawn shifted uncomfortably. The thought of having her own child calling her mother freaked Dawn out, so a grown witch calling her mother? Terrifying._

 _"Um… Selene."_

 _The woman chuckled, her auburn hair flowing in the wind as Selene smiled. Dawn quickly glanced down in realization, and was relieved to find she was clothed. It would have been pretty embarrassing to be standing in front of Selene naked…_

 _"You were busy. My apologizes."_

 _Dawn shifted uncomfortably. "It's, uh, okay."_

 _Nodding, Selene crossed her legs, sitting on the grass as Dawn followed her actions and did the same. "So… Can I help you?"_

 _The woman chuckled. "I want to help you."_

 _Placing a hand on her bump, Dawn absent-mindedly stroked the little being. "Okay?"_

 _"You're confused. About all of this."_

 _Dawn nodded. "Yeah… It is pretty overwhelming."_

 _Sending Dawn an encouraging smile, she nodded. "I can only imagine." She chuckled before pausing, her features turning serious. "You were powerful before… But now… You have liquid power pumping through your blood. Which is why you need to be careful. When you were upset at that ball, you weren't at full power and yet millions died."_

 _Dawn looked down in shame. People were dead because of her… She was a murderer. A monster. "Now that you are at full power… If you have an emotional outburst again, you'd destroy galaxies… Which is why I'm going to help you, and answer any questions you have."_

 _"Why do I have this weird connection with witches?"_

 _A knowing smile rose on Selene's features. "Witches are servants of nature, you are the ruler of nature, the new creator. The prophet. And it isn't only witches, all supernatural beings connect to you, Dawn."_

 _The blonde's brows furrowed together in confusion for a moment. But then why did Elena react the same way as Bonnie and Shelia? Elena wasn't supernatural, she was a human…_

 _"Why me? Why not someone… Worthy?"_

 _Selene frowned, taking Dawn's hands in her own. "For millions of years, nature, us, we've all been waiting for the one destined for greatness. The one who would lead nature through the darkness to come. To take control and rule the earth as it was supposed to be. You are that chosen one, Dawn."_

 _"But… How do you know?"_

 _The auburn haired woman just smiled. "The spirits. For centuries, witches have sought out for mother nature. Back when witches were burnt alive, their angry spirits were forced to remain on the earth, so they all decided to continue to search for their mother. And the second way of knowing? Your blood. The power that pumps through your blood. It's pure… It cannot be contaminated with evil."_

 _She reached forward to take Dawn's hands in her own. "Dawn… Your power. It is one that people would kill for. People would fight wars to possess such power. Including dark witches who neglect nature for selfish purposes. Your power is more powerful than a witch's could ever be. You can make the oceans rise and turn to blood, you can burn the moon, you can create brand new galaxies with the click of your fingers. Dawn you are the most powerful being in the world."_

 _Dawn blinked. It was a lot to take in… "But… Who created the earth?"_

 _Selene tensed. "There was another woman. She was the first mother nature. But she was deemed emotionally unstable and unsuitable... She was not the one to lead nature. She created the world out of boredom for the purpose of destroying it."_

 _The blonde's eyes widened. "What? What if I mess up and end up like her?!" Dawn panicked._

 _Rubbing her thumb on Dawn's hand in a comforting manner. "You won't. You're different I know it. Your kind… Gentle hearted… Sweet. You will be a great leader, even if you don't believe it, Dawn."_

 _Despite the anxiety in her stomach, Dawn nodded, biting her lower lip. "Thanks." She mumbled unsurely._

 _"You don't realize how important you are, do you?" Selene asked in disbelief. "Dawn… You are the beginning of this universe, you are the creator. You have so much power you haven't discovered. And I will show you everything you need to know."_

 _Suddenly Selene smiled. "You should go. Your friend is calling you."_

 _"Dawn!"_

 _"Dawnie!"_

 _"Goodbye, Dawn. I'll see you soon."_

 _The field flashed white and then there was nothing._

 **…**

"Dawn, you nearly done? We have an hour till school!"

The pregnant blonde jumped in shock when she realized she was back in the bathroom, under the shower. For a moment, she steadied herself against the wall as her mind was invaded by dizziness.

"Dawnie!"

"Dawnie! If you don't answer I'm barging right in there!"

As soon as the threat of someone seeing her naked body emerged, Dawn jumped. "I-I'm nearly done." Dawn called out as Caroline faintly replied and went to make breakfast.

Without another word, Dawn poured some shampoo into the palm of her hand and rubbed it into her hair. As she did so, Dawn processed the thoughts without uttering a word.

 **…**

Standing in between Elena and Caroline, Dawn kept a tight grip on her heavy backpack that was over-crammed with some of her school and revision books. Dawn planned on going to the library during her free period to attempt to catch up on history. Then again… She could go and see Damon. After all, they were learning about the 1800's and Damon was born during that century…

Deciding she'd think about it, Dawn frowned. Damon was a murder, but then again, so was she. Her overflowing emotions had brought many to their deaths, so who was she to judge Damon? Plus, in a way, Damon had an excuse. He was a vampire. He drank blood to survive, apparently it was easy to lose control when drinking blood and if life became too much for them, a vampire turned their humanity off and lost control. Sometimes Dawn also wished she couldn't feel a thing.

If she was able to turn her humanity off, she wouldn't feel his disgusting hands running across her breasts, she wouldn't feel his… Thing inside of her. She wouldn't feel any of that, she'd feel nothing. But then again, she wouldn't feel the love she shared for her best friend, she wouldn't feel the warmness she embraced whenever she was around supernatural beings. She wouldn't feel the love she felt for her baby boy. It wouldn't have been worth it.

"Dawn? You sure you're okay carrying that?" Elena's voice snapped Dawn out of her trance.

Turning to face the brunette, Dawn shifted, sending her a small smile as she continued to drag the heavy backpack around. "I'm fine, thanks anyways."

As Elena nodded, unsure, Caroline glanced at the heavy rupsack. Narrowing her eyes suspiciously, Caroline held a hand out, preventing Dawn from working any further. As Dawn smiled sheepishly, Caroline opened the backpack. "Dawn! You said you were bringing a few books. Not the whole bookcase!"

"I need to revise history… I'm so behind." Dawn mumbled.

The cheerleader rolled her eyes before forcefully pulling the backpack from Dawn. "Hey! What are you-" Dawn was cut off by Caroline slugging the backpack over her shoulder and pointing a manicured nail at Dawn.

"No, no, no, no. I'm not having my pregnant best friend cart around a five stone backpack like a donkey!" Caroline exclaimed.

Elena laughed as Dawn's eyes widened. "O-okay..."

With that, the trio walked into the school. "So where is Bonnie?" Dawn asked, glancing at Caroline every once in a while to make sure the blonde was okay carrying her backpack.

"I don't know…"

Caroline just scowled as Elena turned to her. "Have you even talked to Bonnie?"

Shaking her head, the blonde cheerleader stuck her nose in the air. "No, I'm mad at her. She needs to make the first move."

"Be the bigger person." Elena encouraged.

"Impossible in her presence." Caroline replied.

Frowning, Dawn turned to her. "Care, don't be mean!" She reprimanded.

The blonde just looked away in bitterness as Elena sighed. "Why are you so pissed at her anyway?"

"She's a thief, that's why. I gave her my necklace, and she refuses to give it back. It's a matter of principle."

"Caroline!" Dawn scolded.

She didn't know if it was because of her supernatural connection with Bonnie or just their friendship, but Dawn didn't appreciate the way Caroline was talking about Bonnie. Elena, who looked equally as uncomfortable, sighed. "All right. Well, I tried. I'm officially out of it."

Dawn nodded in agreement. "Me too."

Glancing between the two, Caroline nodded. "Good. Your turn, Elena. Where's Stefan? Have you talked to him?"

"He's avoiding me." Elena mumbled.

Placing a hand on her arm, Dawn sent her an encouraging smile. It wasn't easy for Elena, she had just gotten over the death of her parents, and Stefan and her friends had been the reason why.

Caroline furrowed her fair brows together. "Why?"

For a moment, the doppelgänger hesitated. She could hardly tell Caroline it was because he was a vampire and he was afraid of himself or Damon hurting her… "It's complicated." Before she could evaluate, the bell rang, giving Elena an excuse to leave. Literally, saved by the bell. "I'll see you later. Dawn, you coming to history now?"

Dawn shook her head. "I need to go to my locker first and dump these books in there."

"You want me to come with?" Elena offered.

Shaking her head, Dawn smiled. "No thanks, I don't want to make you late. Plus, Care's got a free period for twenty minutes so she's coming." Dawn replied. Elena hesitated before pulling Dawn into a one-sided hug. The blonde tensed under her grip as Elena pulled away and waved at Care.

"Bye." Caroline replied, sending her a small smile as the brunette headed in the opposite direction.

As Elena left, Matt walked past, meeting eyes with Caroline. "Hey Dawn, Care."

"Hey." Caroline chimed as Matt walked straight past them. Her smile dropped and formed into a disappointed frown as Dawn placed a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"

Nodding, Caroline sighed. "Yeah. Let's get these books to your locker, I'm getting a dead shoulder."

Dawn giggled as the two headed down the hall and towards her locker.

 **…**

With red cheeks, Dawn rushed down the corridor alone. After taking her books to her locker, Dawn had started heading to class, however, it seemed her little boy hadn't been too keen on the plan, so he decided to bounce on her bladder. So after putting her books in her locker, walking slowly down the hall due to her sore, swelling feet, walking to the bathroom, peeing and walking towards her class, Dawn was _at least_ twenty minutes late. It wasn't the greatest first impression… A new chance and she'd already screwed it up.

Using the speed a pregnant woman wouldn't generally use, Dawn powerwalked towards the history classroom that had used to belong to poor William Tanner. Dawn winced at the thought of the deceased history teacher. Ignoring the anxiety that was bubbling in her lower gut, Dawn nervously placed a hand on her stomach.

"Mommy is going to be in big trouble." Dawn murmured, rubbing the center of her bump. At first, Dawn had thought she'd be slightly uncomfortable talking to her stomach that contained the little being, but it had strangely come naturally to her.

As she approached the door, Dawn could hear the sound of a teacher drawing on the chalkboard. Just as he was about to start talking, Dawn stumbled in the classroom, her cheeks flushed as she panted, exhausted by her fast walking.

"S-Sorry." Dawn stuttered in embarrassment as giggles travelled through the classroom.

The teacher turned to her, his gaze playfully hard, but it soon softened when he noticed the slight tremble Dawn was exhibiting, along with her bump and flushed cheeks. The teacher, who Dawn didn't know the name of, was average height at 6'2 with an athletic build, short brown hair and bright blue eyes. He was actually rather handsome. Dawn flushed pinker at the thoughts.

"No worries. Take a seat." He smiled friendlily as Dawn sighed in relief. Her eyes scanned the class in till she spotted Elena, who was supporting an empty desk beside her own. Sending the blonde a smile, Elena patted the seat as Dawn walked over, an insecure hand on her stomach.

"Alaric Saltzman. It's a mouthful, I know. Doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. Saltzman is of German origins. My family emigrated here in 1755 to Texas. I, however, was born and raised in Boston. Now the name Alaric belongs to a very dead great-grandfather I will never be able to thank enough. You'll probably want to pronounce ' _A_ lla-rick' but it's 'Al _a_ ric,' okay? So, you can call me Ric. I'm your new history teacher." He introduced.

 **…**

The good-looking teacher had to be the best teacher Dawn had ever had. Period. He was interacting well with the students, friendly yet disciplinant and his teaching method was easy to follow and fun to listen to. As much as Dawn hated to say it, he was a better teacher than Tanner had ever been… Placing her notebook back in her backpack, Dawn stood and went to follow Elena out the classroom. Before she could, Alaric's smooth voice stopped her.

"Miss Ellis. Can I talk to you a minute?"

Spinning around, Dawn nervously bit her lower lip. Oh no… Here it was… It was going to be about her failing grades. "Uh, sure." Dawn mumbled shyly. Elena paused in the doorway and sent Dawn a small smile. "I'll wait for you outside." She promised before exiting the classroom, closing the door behind her.

Anxiously, Dawn walked to Alaric's desk where he was sitting. "Is this about my grades… I was supposed to be studying a couple of days ago, but I was in hospital and I never got around to it… I'm so sorry." Dawn babbled apprehensively, crossing her arms over her front and nervously twiddling her thumbs.

A small, calming smile curled on Alaric's lips. "Dawn. It says you had a threatened miscarriage only three days ago." Alaric missed Dawn's flinch. "Are you sure you're okay to be in school?" Alaric asked, standing and leaning against his desk as he motioned for Dawn to take a seat.

Sitting on one of the front row desks, Dawn bit her lip. "I can't afford to miss any more lessons, Mr. Saltzman."

"Ric-" He corrected before sighing. "Dawn… Your wellbeing, your child's wellbeing is more important than school. But don't tell the principle I said that." Alaric smiled. Dawn giggled slightly as his lips curled mischievously.

"Look. It seems your old teacher was pretty harsh on you. I have no doubt you're a bright student and going through a rough, stressful time. Look, how do you feel about writing me a paper for extra credit? If it's too much stress, don't worry. I just can see you're very worried about your grades and this could really pick them back up."

Dawn nodded eagerly. "That would be great, Mr. Saltzman." She mumbled the words awkwardly. "What do you want me to write a paper about?"

He thought for a moment. He should have really looked at the list of all the subjects coming up in history, but instead he wanted to make it a little easier for Dawn. "Whatever you want. As long as it has to do with history, you can do it. From the Egyptians to the Tudors, anything." He trusted Dawn enough to not write about 'A Game of Thrones'.

Smiling widely, Dawn almost hugged the man. "Thank you."

 **…**

As the petite blonde walked out the room to meet the pretty brunette, Alaric smiled. She was a sweet girl and was clearly having a rough time. According to the school files, she was now living with her best friend as her father: Pastor Gabriel Ellis, had kicked her out… The girl had a threatened miscarriage three days ago and yet she was back in school on her feet. All Ric hoped was that her paper would be good so he could give her a top grade. Tanner, the old history teacher who had died from an 'animal attack', had a jackass file, which was full of troubled students.

On the last page of the file was Dawn. Tanner had written that she was a troubled student with dropping grades and had been kicked out by the Pastor. Although he didn't know the teacher, Alaric decided the dead teacher was a douchbag. Ric had only known Dawn for one lesson and yet he could already tell she was a hardworking, sweet girl.

 **…**

Clutching the mug of coffee in his hands, Damon walked into Stefan's room, waking him up in the process. Squinting, Stefan rubbed his eyes, disorientated as the following night's memories came crashing back. Lexi… She was dead… Damon killed her, his best friend. Stefan clenched his jaw as Damon held the coffee out. "Rise and shine! You'll be late for school."

He didn't accept the coffee, instead he stared at it, his eyebrows furrowed. "What? What are you doing?"

Damon rolled his eyes as if it was obvious. The older brother was acting as if he hadn't murdered his best friend in cold blood… "Peace offering. Come on, you need it for blood circulation. Does dead flesh good!"

When Stefan scowled, Damon sighed. "All right. I'm sorry."

But Stefan wasn't going to fall for his brother's act. He wasn't sorry. And even if he was sorry, it wouldn't bring Lexi back. Pulling himself out the bed, Stefan pushed the covers to the side and stretched, in an attempt to start getting ready. However, before he could walk towards the bathroom, Damon stood in his way. "Step aside, please."

Once again, the older brother rolled his eyes. "I got the town off our back. It was for the greater good, but I'm sorry. And, to prove it, I'm not gonna feed on a human-" Damon paused for a moment. "-For at _least_ a week. I'll adopt a Stefan diet! Only nothing with feathers."

Knowing he was so close to snapping, turning off his humanity and going on a blood binge, Stefan gritted his teeth. "Cause' I realize that killing your closest and oldest friend is beyond evil, and yet somehow, it's worthy of humor." Stefan mocked Damon, channelling his frustration through his impression.

Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, Damon squinted. "Are you mimicking me?"

Ignoring his brother, Stefan continued. "Yes, Stefan. Now that the secret society of vampire haters is off our back, I can go back to my routine of 'How can I destroy Stefan's life this week?'."

For a moment, Damon was stunned. "And _I_ can go back to sulking and Elena-longing and forehead brooding." Damon mocked, deepening his voice so it would somewhat resemble his brothers. He let out a laugh, throwing his head back. "This is fun! I like this."

"And I will finally reveal the ulterior motive behind my evil and diabolical return to Mystic Falls." Stefan mocked, his olive eyes narrowed.

Immediately, the smirk dropped. Placing the coffee on the bedside table, Damon scoffed. "Yeah. I'm done. 'That's just like you, Damon. Always have to have the last word'."

 **…**

With Dawn by one side and Elena by the other, Bonnie frowned, her pretty features tense as she rubbed the dark circles that surrounded her eyes. Something was clearly bothering Bonnie and although Dawn should really have been starting her paper, which she had decided she'd do on Mystic Falls life in the 1860's, she had to be there for her friend. Dawn suspected this was her mother nature attitude kicking in, but either way, an upset Bonnie unsettled her greatly. Perhaps that was just the effects of friendships, she couldn't be quite sure. After all, she only had been friends with Caroline.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Dawn asked in concern, the almost empty backpack hanging off her shoulder.

Glancing at Dawn, Bonnie smiled gratefully. "Yeah… Just the dream, it was so weird. By the end of the dream, I was suddenly at the remains of the old Fell's church before I woke up back in the woods."

Dawn furrowed her brows together. "Strange… I could ask Selene? Maybe she knows… Sorry, I'm not very good at this whole. Y'know, _mother nature_ thing." Dawn mumbled in embarrassment. According to Selene, witches served nature and she was the ruler of nature, meaning witches served her. And yet she had no idea what to do when her witch friend was having weird nightmares. What a great mother nature she was, _not_!

Nodding in agreement, Elena frowned, also concerned for her friend. "And you always see your ancestor Emily?"

"Mhm. Do you believe in ghosts?" Bonnie asked the two.

For a moment, Elena hesitated. "Two weeks ago I'd say no, but now... What about you, Dawnie?" Elena continued. Nodding, Dawn faintly smiled. "Yeah… I mean, technically speaking, Selene is dead, why?"

Bonnie frowned. "Because I think I'm being haunted."

"I don't get it. Why Emily?" Elena asked, unable to wrap her head around the whole situation.

It was a little strange. Why would Emily haunt Bonnie? "Grams said she was a powerful witch back in the Civil War days, and that this medallion was hers. A witch's talisman." Bonnie said, pulling the amber jewel from underneath her top as it hung loosely around her neck. She held the jewel up for the two before slipping it back under her top.

"And it all started when you got the necklace?"

She nodded, her eyes darting down to the jewel that was hanging around her neck, before meeting eyes with Elena. "I think she's using it to communicate with me."

"Okay, what does Grams say about it?"

Bonnie hesitated. "I can't call her. She's gonna tell me to embrace it. I don't want to embrace it; I want it to stop."

Sending her a small smile, Dawn placed a hand on Bonnie's arm. "Maybe I can connect with her? Selene, she said, because witches serve nature, they are loyal to me. Maybe I could reach out to her?" Dawn offered.

 **…**

Clutching her books to her chest, Bonnie nervously walked along the path, her eyes looking out for Emily almost automatically as she headed towards her car. When she realized the dead witch was nowhere in sight, Bonnie's tense posture relaxed. Turning to her car, Bonnie pressed the keys, however, as soon as she was about to pull the door open, a firm grip stopped her. The witch paled slightly when she met eyes with the cold-blooded vampire. She quietly appreciated the fact she had gym class last. If it wasn't for the uptight gym teacher, she would have still been wearing the necklace. However, now the golden jewel had a place in her car glove compartment.

"Okay, it's your last chance." Damon warned, a smirk on his lips.

Looking around, Bonnie tensed when she noticed the car park was practically deserted. Just her luck… "I'm gonna scream." She threatened.

Letting out a sarcastic, rather patronizing chuckle, Damon shook his head, his eyes meeting the witches. "Oh no, don't do that. Let's stay on point. I _want_ my necklace." He warned.

Clearly the threat frightened Bonnie as she took a step back, pressing herself further against the car door. "You can't have it."

"I can't take it, but you can give it to me. I'm trying to _help_ you, here." Damon snapped.

Furrowing her brows together, Bonnie shook her head, ignoring the curiosity in her gut. How could he help her? What did he know about the necklace and why did he want it so much? "I don't want your help."

Damon shook his head, smirking. "You _do_ want my help, and you don't even know it. You know why, you little witch? Cause' you've stumbled into something you need to stumble out of."

"Just leave me alone or I swear—" Bonnie began weakly, but was cut off by Damon's stern voice. "Don't! No threats. Look, A, you hurt me last time. B, I wish you no harm. Believe it or not, Bonnie, I wanna protect you. Let me help you get Emily off your back."

Her features twisted into ones of a confused woman as she frowned. "How do you know about her?"

"I know a lot of things, and I know more about that crystal than you do, and I know that she's using it to creep inside of you. See how scared you are? And, you should be, because I will get that crystal, even if I have to wait for Emily to give it to me herself. So, next time she comes out to play, you tell her that a deal's a deal." He threatened.

As his words sunk in, Damon gently nudged Bonnie to the side and opened her car door for her. The brunette didn't hesitate to scramble inside, causing his smirk to widen as he closed the door behind her.

 **…**

With her fingers dusting along the spine of the library book, Dawn leaned against the tree, the sun rays hitting her legs as her eyes scanned over the barely readable book. Usually Dawn found history interesting, but she couldn't take the information in. Maybe it was because she was surrounded by wildlife… Huffing, Dawn placed the book to the side and leaned against the tree. Maybe she had to get it out her system.

After checking no one was around, Dawn lifted her palm, closing her eyes as her body tingled. The wind picked up, throwing fallen leaves around as flowers began to grow around Dawn, caressing and tickling her legs as a large toothy grin emerged. The energy, the power, it felt so nice…

"Impressive, Dawnie."

Jumping, Dawn's concentration was snapped as the wind immediately dropped. Placing a hand over her heart, Dawn huffed. "You scared me." She paused for a moment. "Us. You scared us." She corrected.

The corner of Damon's lips twitched. Crossing his legs, Damon slumped down beside Dawn. " _Life in the 1860's_. Dawn, you could have just asked me."

Blushing, she shifted awkwardly. "I didn't want to bother you." Dawn admitted.

"You'd could never bother me, Dawnie. Now what do you want to know?"

 **…**

With her pencil frantically scribbling words down on her small notebook, Dawn sat beside Damon at the bar, her eyes meeting his as he sipped his drink. After speaking to Damon at school, he had finally convinced her to ask him questions about the 1860's and Dawn had been that distracted, she never really got around to asking Damon why he was even at the school. Giggling at his answer, Dawn pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes, flushing pink as Damon's smirk widened. Beside her chair was a small bag that contained a wrapped box.

"What? I'm just saying you look very beautiful today." He insisted innocently, causing Dawn to shake her head, a faint smile now on her lips.

Clearly she didn't believe him. But to be honest, Damon could have stared at her all day. Her innocence was empowering and so was her being 'mother nature'. Although Damon didn't know a lot about the whole 'mother nature' power thing, he did know quite a fair share of information on witches. He knew witches served nature, a lot of them claimed they were serving mother nature, meaning Dawn was a pretty important piece in his game. If the Bennett witch didn't give him the crystal, she'd give it to mother nature. Emily herself would have resurrected herself to give the necklace to Dawn. Anyways, Damon was certain Dawn was more powerful than Bonnie. Granted, both of them were young and new to the supernatural world, but Dawn was mother nature. She could control the elements, the earth… She was a very powerful, an important piece in getting Katherine out. She was very usable.

He immediately scolded himself at the thought. He couldn't use Dawnie, she deserved better than that. He wouldn't be able to bare it if he hurt her in the process. But Katherine. He needed Katherine, she was his true love, the woman he yearned after, Dawn was simply a puppet, there to obey his needs.

Damon had a strange thinking process, if he told himself the same sentence over and over again, he'd finally believe it… But truth be told, he didn't. Maybe he was developing feelings of some sort for the blonde, he wasn't sure…

"So, what about general hygiene?"

"We had an indoor toilet, if you could call it that. But we didn't have indoor hot-and-cold running water, only the Whitehouse did. We had safety razors to shave with, but they weren't called that until the 1880's. But you had to be extremely cautious about cuts, as lockjaw, or tetanus if you like, killed thousands annually." Damon replied lazily, sipping the bourbon as Dawn frantically scribbled down the answers.

Arching a brow, Damon leaned forward. "So, what is all this for?"

Dawn smiled. "History. The new history teacher has given me extra credit to pick my grades back up!"

Excitement was evident on her features as Damon frowned. "You sure you're okay to do this? I mean, you did just get out of hospital." Damon murmured, his voice quiet so no one but Dawn would hear the caring words.

The pregnant blonde smiled faintly. "I'll be fine, I promise."

As Damon took another sip of the bourbon, Dawn pushed the notepad aside. "So, mother." He teased, causing Dawn to flush.

"Don't call me that… I already have Selene calling me it." She admitted, her cheeks pink as Damon smirked, however, his lips curled into a frown as he glanced at her stomach. "Are you sure you're okay to do this? I can compel you good grades."

Dawn smiled widely. "I'm fine, thank you." She leaned forward and pressed a hesitant kiss on his cheek. "Thanks Damon, for everything."

She paused.

"I'm gonna go and pee. My baby boy is pressing down on my bladder." Dawn mumbled in embarrassment, getting down from the barstool. With that, she walked towards the grills bathroom, leaving Damon frozen. Her notepad and pen was left on the bar top while the small bag was left beside Damon.

Before he could even think about the small, meaningful peck on the cheek, Stefan approached him. Damon immediately snapped out of his state of shock and sipped his drink. "So, Stefan... You know, I've been thinking. I think we should start over, give this brother thing another chance. We used to do it, oh-so well, once upon a time." Stefan told Damon, still impersonating his older brother.

Damon took another gulp of the bourbon before smirking widely. "I don't, Damon. I can't trust you to be a nice guy. You kill everybody, and you're so mean. You're so mean, and..." Bored, Damon gave up, rolling his eyes. "You're really hard to imitate, and then I have to go to that lesser place..." He mockingly shivered.

The younger brother rolled his eyes before turning to the bartender. "Can I get a coffee, please?-" He then turned back to Damon. "-So, what's with the bottle?"

"I'm on edge. Crash diet. You know, I'm trying to keep a low profile." Damon replied.

Stefan shrugged. "You could always just leave, find a new town to turn into your own personal gas 'n' sip."

"I'll manage. You don't have to keep an eye on me."

He shook his head and sat beside his older brother. "I'm not here to keep an eye on you."

Damon narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "So, why are you here?"

"Why not?"

 **…**

Walking back over to the bar, Dawn arched a brow when she noticed Stefan was sitting in her seat, beside Damon. Hesitantly heading over to the two, she couldn't help but feel bad when she interrupted their conversation. Sending them an apologetic, faint smile, Dawn shifted awkwardly and grabbed the notepad and pen from the bar top. Damon smirked at the sight of Dawn, causing Stefan to tense.

"Sorry for interrupting… I need to go anyways, Care texted me about a sleepover or something." Dawn smiled, clutching the notepad as Stefan nodded, his eyes scanning over her for any injuries Damon may have caused.

Glancing at her bag, her hazel eyes lit up. "Ooh! I almost forgot, your birthday present." Dawn smiled, trying to bend over to grab her bag from the floor. Seeing her struggle, Damon chuckled and grabbed her backpack for her.

Sending him a grateful smile, she began to rifle through her bag. Stefan and Damon watched in amusement as she pulled out a wrapped box. Gently pressing the box into Stefan's palms, Dawn smiled. "Happy birthday, Stefan!"

"Thank you, Dawn. You shouldn't have." Stefan insisted as Dawn smiled. With that, he slowly opened the present with two pairs of eyes on him. **'THE BEST OF TAYLOR SWIFT!'**

Stefan flushed slightly, avoiding Damon's eyes as he pressed the album closer to his chest. "You haven't been talking to Elena by any chance, have you?"

She pondered for a moment before nodding. "Guilty."

Before Damon could comment, Dawn frowned. "Have you guys seen Lexi? I met her at the party and she was really nice."

The two hesitate for a moment, and before Stefan could tell the truth, Damon cut him off. "The council… They killed her… She sacrificed herself for us…" Damon lied. Dawn's eyes widened as she covered her mouth in shock. "Oh… Oh my god… I'm so sorry…."

 **…**

The death of Lexi Branson had been a shock to Dawn. She hadn't known the blonde vampire much, but she seemed nice enough and she clearly meant a lot to Stefan… Lexi was his best friend. Dawn couldn't imagine losing Caroline. After arriving back at the Forbes' residence, Caroline had immediately noticed Dawn's down mood and convinced Dawn to go to the sleepover they both had been invited to. To be honest, other than the times she had slept at Caroline's when she was living with her father, and the one time she had slept at Elena's, Dawn had never really been on a proper slumber party.

She honestly didn't know what to expect. Would it be pillow fights, scary movies and boy-talk or would it be pizza, the Supernatural boxset and a whole lot of junk food? Dawn hoped it would be the second option…

Currently, the four were in Elena's kitchen, Dawn was sitting on one of the stools, while the other three were standing. But to be fair to Dawn, her feet were aching like hell. Probably because she practically ran to history… The tension between Caroline and Bonnie was evident in the room, making both Dawn and Elena awkward. Neither of them wanted the two to fight, they were best friends for god sake! It wasn't worth ending over the necklace that was haunting Bonnie

After receiving a scolding glance off Dawn, Caroline sighed and turned to Bonnie. "I'm sorry. There. I said it. If you want the ugly-ass necklace, keep it. It's yours."

For a moment the witch was hesitant, her guilty eyes met Caroline's as she bit her lower lip. "Will you hate me if I tell you I threw it away?"

Caroline was clearly annoyed, but tried to hide it, knowing Dawn didn't like conflict. "You threw it away?"

Nodding, Bonnie ran a hand through her hair. "I know it sounds crazy, but the necklace was giving me nightmares. I had to get rid of it."

"You could have just given it back to me." Caroline replied, her lips curling in annoyance.

Defending Bonnie, Elena frowned. "Why? So you could give it back to Damon?"

Dawn just sat back awkwardly. She wasn't getting involved… "Screw Damon. Are we doing manicures or what? Who has their kit?" Caroline replied, sending a smile in Dawn's direction.

"Mine's in my bag." Bonnie replied.

Immediately, the blonde bounced over to Bonnie's purse and began to rummage around for the manicure kit. "So, Elena... How long do you think this fight with Stefan's gonna last? Is it... Like a permanent thing?"

Tensing, the doppelgänger moved to sit beside Dawn. "I don't know, Caroline."

Just as Caroline was about to reply, she noticed the bright jewel in the bottom of the bag. "Why are you such a little liar, Bonnie?"

"Care!" Dawn scolded.

Looking at her in confusion, Bonnie furrowed her brows. "What?"

Pulling the necklace out the bag, she dangled it, showing the girls the crystal. Elena and Bonnie gaped at the necklace. They had thrown it away into a field, how did it get in her bag? Unless… Emily. "I'm not lying to you, Caroline. I swear."

"Care." Dawn warned, frowning at the tension. This wasn't how she thought a sleepover would be…

Jumping to Bonnie's offense, Elena stood. "It's true. I watched her throw it into a field!"

Caroline shook her head. "Then explain it."

"Emily."

"Who's Emily?"

"The ghost."

Rolling her eyes, the blonde swung the necklace in her palm. "Oh, the ghost has a name now?"

"Caroline!" Dawn scolded. Now she was just being mean… Sure, Dawn didn't know the entire situation, but if both Bonnie and Elena said Bonnie had thrown the necklace away, she believed them. Maybe it was because of her supernatural connection with Bonnie, but Dawn didn't like the way her best friend was talking to both of her new friends.

"Stop defending her, Dawnie! You're supposed to be my best friend!"

Dawn frowned as Bonnie turned to her and Elena. "I wonder why she won't leave me alone."

"What is going on? Why am I not a part of this conversation? You guys do this to me all the time."

Shaking her head, the doppelgänger protested. "That's not true."

Bonnie suddenly scoffed. "Yes, it is. I can't talk to you. You don't listen."

"That's not true." Caroline replied. She listened to Dawn all the time. What was Bonnie on about?!

"I'm a witch. Dawn's mother nature." Bonnie claimed bluntly, causing Dawn to gasp, her eyes wide.

Caroline scoffed, shaking her head. "And don't we all know it? Also, don't bring Dawnie into this!"

"See? That's what I'm talking about. I'm trying to tell you something. You don't even hear it." Bonnie snapped.

Once again, the blonde rolled her eyes, causing Dawn to place her hands on her head. Noticing her discomfort, Elena rubbed Dawn's back. The evening wasn't turning out as good as she thought it would. And it certainly wasn't distracting her from the deaths that had taken place in the last couple of weeks. "I listen. When do I not listen?"

 **…**

Shaking his head, Damon watched in defeat as Stefan threw the dart with a soft grip. In a matter of milliseconds, his last dart landed besides his others, bullseye. Damon smirked.

"Lucky shot."

Pulling the darts out of the board, Stefan sent Damon a smirk as he chalked down Stefan's points. "More like a carefully honed skill over many decades."

Shaking his head, Damon added up the scores quickly. When his first add up claimed he was losing, Damon added the scores up again, only to find he was still losing. Turning to his brother, Damon scowled playfully. "You're beating me."

Stefan snorted. "Yeah. It's because I'm better than you."

For a moment, Damon was stunned. Realization flooded in as Damon shook his head. His little brother was more transparent than he thought he was. "I'm onto you. Reverse psychology. It's a little transparent, but I admire the effort."

"You prefer the brooding forehead?" Stefan retorted.

Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, Damon frowned. "Seriously, what game do you think you're playing?"

Stefan let out a chuckle. "That's a funny question considering the fact that I have been asking you that for months. It's frustrating isn't it?"

"Touché."

* * *

 **Hi guys! I'm glad you all enjoyed the last chapter. I just wanted to make clear that 'We Might Fall' is my top priority in updating and I am actually already on chapter seventeen, so I'm three chapters ahead where I usually am. I actually work on a lot of fanfictions and currently the main ones are two Dean OC's, one Harley Quinn OC and one Katherine Pierce fanfiction. Sorry for any mistakes in this chapter.**

Anyways, I have another Dean OC fanfiction out, which is my main Dean/OC. It is in the whole 'pregnancy/baby' category with this fic, so if you'd all check it out, it would mean a lot. It's called 'Aftermath'.

 **Also, I'd just like to write a quick thank you. Every single read, review, favorite and follow means so much to me! I mean, we've all hit 31,160 views which is crazy! When I published this, I honestly didn't except anyone to read it, so knowing 271 people have favorited this fanfiction and 361 have followed is crazy! I love all of you guys and don't be afraid to message me!**

 **In response to:**

 **Sloksingh45: Done:) Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Flowerchild: Haha, no worries. Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Panda buny 2.0: thank you honey! Thanks for reviewing also:)**

 **PirateWizardThief: Thank you:), she had got a hell of an important job which will twist the storyline! Witches get power from Dawn, meaning she can cut them off;). Thanks for reviewing!x**

 **Angelic demon chick: I'm glad you're enjoying it! I agee, I've always thought Damon needs someone kind to balance him out. Although Elena I love Elena, I think the writers changed her character way too much, they went from her being nice to being almost like a less-mean Katherine, if that makes sense? Haha. Let's just say Dawn will have a pretty important job during Klaus breaking the curse! Thank you for reviewing!**

 **Lijahsgirl: Haha:). Bonnie is secretly Hermione but don't tell anyone, ssshhhh. Thanks for reviewing!**

 **BrittStar1199: Damon does care for Dawn and I wouldn't say he's in love, love with her, but he does really like her. But Damon being Damon wont admit that and will keep focusing on Kitty-Kat! Congrats for guessing right! Also, I actually haven't thought of any names as naming a girl OC, no problem, but a boy? Ugh, I can never find the right boy name! Feel free to suggest any:) Thanks for reviewing!]**

 **HCookie: No problem! I think Klaus is my favourite original. I love his accent. I mean, I live in England and am English and know no one who talks like that tho, haha. But then again, they were raised in the Viking era. I ship Katherine and Stefan hard-core, like ugh. I thought Stefan was cute with Elena but he's made for either Katherine or Caroline, hell they get a polygamous marriage! And yeah, this story will go on to meet the originals:). Thanks for reviewing!**

 **GhostlySights: Yeah, Dawn is definitely going to try and protect everyone, even if it puts herself in danger. She'd protect everyone unless it put her son at risk. Who say's Dawn can die;)? Dawn will try and tip the balance of good and bad, which will always balance itself out… Thank you for the lovely review!:)**

 **Viltho: Haha, glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for reviewing.**

 **123456789: Glad you enjoyed the chapter, thanks for reviewing!**

 **Guest: Thanks for reviewing.**

 **Anna.B: Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it! Dawn being mother nature is going to have a huge effect on everything in the vampire diaries. I actually cannot wait till Esther shows up! I think Dawn would be very conflicted, but you have to remember, Dawn hasn't fully embraced being mother nature and when she does, it is going to have a huge strain on her relationship with Damon (as y'know, vampires were abominations against nature. Dawn would have to allow the baby between Klaus and Haley, or at least another important witch who is helping Dawn like Selene. I'm glad you liked the interaction between Lexi and Dawn, Lexi is one of my favourites and yet she was only in eight episodes:(. As much as I want Caroline and Dawn to have no problems and such, no friendship is perfect and Care and Dawn have completely opposite personalities. I love Caroline and have always thought she needed someone else as Bonnie and Elena (not purposely) left her out. Sometimes I read Damon OC's and they make Damon completely forget about Katherine in one chapter and it really annoys me. He has had feelings for Katherine for 145 years, he wouldn't get over it that quick… I love Klaus so I'm excited to get onto season two. Dawn will also be having the baby mid-season two, which means when Klaus breaks the hybrid curse and is known to be in town, Dawn will have to send the little boy out of town. As let's be honest, there can't be a baby in town while Klaus is trying to break the curse as it would put the little boy in danger. Also, Dawn has a part in the sacrifice ceremony, and upon knowing this, she'd sent the little one away so he was safe. They will find out some big news about Dawn in late season one, which they will all go crazy about. I would consider Dawn an alternative world where she goes to New Orleans. Thanks for the lovely review!**

 **Spacegayss & Guest: Interesting theory;). Thanks for the reviews! **

**alena ares: I messaged you back but I don't know if you got it, so I'll just put the message here. Hi, I'm sorry but I don't really beta. Although I highly recommended downloading a free software called Ginger. It also works on words, points out grammar errors word doesn't detect etc. You don't need to buy a package; you can use it for free (which I do). Sometimes you have to write it manually instead of clicking the correction above. But you do need to make sure it makes sense rather than just correcting everything they say. Also make sure you re-read after. However, I would be happy to help with anything else. And I always find the name the hardest part of a fanfiction, what is the general plot of the fanfiction? Either relating to the plot or a song is usually the best , if your focusing on the series like 'We might fall' i'd recommend using transcript. Thanks for reviewing!**

 **jk522: You'll find out what happened to Dawn near the end of season one. Thanks for reviewing!**

 **SomebodyWhoCares: Thanks for reviewing!**


	14. f o u r t e e n

**1X09 History repeating part two.**

 **Dawn Ellis played by Dianna Agron**

"I'm sorry Dawnie… But I just, I don't believe in this sort of stuff, y'know." Caroline frowned, shaking her head. There was no way her best friend was mother nature, nor was Bonnie a witch. Either the two were on drugs, which they hopefully weren't as Dawn was pregnant, or they were crazy. Neither options were very welcoming to Caroline.

Currently, the two were sitting in Elena's bedroom, talking privately. After Bonnie and Caroline's… Heated debate, Dawn had taken Caroline aside to talk to her.

Taking Caroline's hands in her own, Dawn frowned. "Caroline… You're my best friend, the most important person in my life along with my baby. You've been with me through thick and thin. Would I really lie to you, would I try and make a fool out of you? This isn't a prank, Care. This is reality. A rather crazy reality."

For a moment, she hesitated, looking down at their hands before meeting Dawn's desperate eyes. As Dawn's big hazel eyes glossed over, Caroline frowned. "O-Okay…"

"Okay?"

"Okay."

Dawn smiled, pulling her hand away and holding out her palm. "I know this is a lot to take in, believe me… But I can show you, as long as you promise not to tell anyone."

Instantly, the blonde nodded. "I promise."

Pleased by Caroline's response, Dawn pulled her hands away, closing her eyes as she concentrated deeply. The suspicious blonde watched in amazement as gusts of wind flowed out of Dawn's palm, forming into a tornado and dancing along her palm as Caroline's jaw dropped.

Slowly, it ceased, stopping in till there was no more wind. Opening her eyes, Dawn met Caroline's, almost nervously. "You don't… You don't think I'm a freak, do you?"

Caroline smiled. "I could never think you are a freak."

 **…**

Sitting outside the room door, Dawn leaned her head against Elena's shoulder. Frowning in concern, the brunette frowned. "How did she take it?"

"As suspected. But she believed me and didn't call me a freak, so I guess that's okay."

Elena frowned, "You're not a freak, Dawn. Far from it. Who wants to be normal? There's no fun in that." Elena told Dawn, a small smile on her face as she looked at the blonde. Elena's words reminded Dawn of what she had said to Stefan in the cemetery. _"I-I didn't mean it like that. It's different. I quite like different. Who wants to be normal, there's no fun in that?" Dawn rambled nervously as Stefan nodded in agreement._

"Did you give Stefan his present?"

The pregnant blonde giggled. "Yeah, he so loved it. But he wouldn't admit it as Damon was there." Dawn informed her causing her to chuckle.

With that, the two pressed their ears against the door that lead to the living room, attempting to listen into the conversation. "- _Because I consider you to be one of my best friends. And I'm saying this, knowing that Elena and Dawn are in the kitchen listening to my every word. Look, I didn't know how real this was for you, but I'm listening now. Okay? Guys, you can come in now. We're done_."

The two flushed before scrambling into the room sheepishly. Caroline chuckled at this before continuing. "There is just way too much drama in this room. So, what do you guys wanna do? I have an idea. Why don't we have a séance?"

Dawn immediately shook her head, frowning. "No, no, no, no! Haven't you seen any horror movies?! That's how the teenagers die, Care! By messing with spirits!" Dawn protested.

Pouting, the blonde fluttered her lashes at Dawn. "Pluh-ease!" She begged in a baby voice.

Shaking her head, Dawn frowned. "No! I'm too young to die! There's no way I'm messing with that sort of stuff!" Dawn replied, placing a hand on her bump as Bonnie nodded in agreement.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Bonnie mumbled, as fond as Dawn on the idea of contacting Emily.

Ignoring the two, Caroline rolled her eyes and stood with her hands on her hips. "Come on. Let's summon some spirits. This Emily chick has some serious explaining to do."

 **…**

Sat in a circle, the four girls had turned all the lights off and lit several candles that had originally been in Elena's bathroom. Despite the protests from Dawn and the weak objections from Bonnie, Caroline had decided they were going to try and contact the dead witch who was haunting Bonnie. Nervously rubbing her arms, Dawn shifted, glancing at the blonde who was sitting beside her.

"I… I don't know about this. I've got a bad feeling." Dawn mumbled, one of her hands travelling down to her bump as she took a deep breath. She really didn't want to do this séance…

Sending her best friend a look, Caroline grabbed Dawn's free hand. "It'll be fine."

"Said the girl in the horror movie before her and all of her friends were slaughtered." Dawn murmured under her breath as Caroline rolled her eyes, having heard the comment.

Turning back to the pregnant blonde, Caroline frowned. "Dawnie, it'll be fine. Anyways, this Emily chick, she's a witch right?" When Bonnie nodded, she continued. "And witches are like servants of nature, and you are mother of nature. That means you're the supreme ruler, like a god or something. So she wouldn't dare upset you by killing us." Caroline chimed.

After a moment of silence, Dawn nodded and sighed. "Fine…"

With that, Caroline closed her eyes, concentrating as Bonnie looked between Elena and Dawn in confusion. "What are we doing?" Bonnie whispered.

Elena shrugged. "I don't know."

Opening her eyes, Caroline sent the three a pointed, strict look. It reminded Dawn of the sort of look a teacher would send to a misbehaving student. "Be quiet and concentrate. Close your eyes. Now take a deep breath. Dawnie. Call to her."

Snapping her head in Caroline's direction, Dawn's lips parted in surprise. "What?! Why me?"

The cheerleader rolled her eyes. "Dawnie, your mother nature, right?"

"Well, apparently."

"And this Selene chick, she says witches and anything nature related worships you, right?"

"Uh, yeah…"

Caroline held her hand out to justify her point. "See! Out of all of us here, she'd definitely respond to you."

Shaking her head, Dawn frowned. "But… What about Bon? She's related to Emily; she's even seen her."

"Dawnie…" Caroline scolded.

Clearing her throat, Bonnie looked into Dawn's eyes. "She's got a point, Dawn."

Elena nodded in agreement as Dawn sighed. "Fine…"

With that, the four closed their eyes left. Unsure of what to say, Dawn couldn't control the words that came out of her mouth. "Uh, Emily, are you, uh, y'know, in?"

The three girls opened their eyes, turning to Dawn. Feeling their eyes on her, Dawn opened her own, flushing. " _Uh, Emily, are you, uh, y'know, in?_ Really Dawnie… I love you, but geez… You've watched 'Most Haunted', copy them!" Caroline mocked playfully.

Pouting, Dawn closed her eyes. "Emily. I call on you. I know you have a message. I'm here to listen and help, we are all here to listen and help." The words flowed out of Dawn softly as the candles immediately flared stronger. Upon hearing the faint flutter of the flames increasing, the four looked at the candle.

"Did that just..." The doppelgänger trailed off.

Nodding, Caroline's lips parted in shock. "Yeah, it just happened."

Bonnie, who looked equally as worried as Dawn, sent the blonde a reassuring smile. "I'm sure it was just the air conditioning, Dawn."

"Ask her to show you a sign. Ask her. Emily, if you're among us, show us another sign." Caroline called out.

The four waited a moment, only to reveal silence. Anxiously biting her lower lip, Dawn shook her head. "I don't think it's working…" As soon as the words left her mouth, the windows burst open, causing all the girls to scream.

"I can't, I'm done." Bonnie screamed, ripping the necklace off and throwing it on the ground next to the candles. As soon as she did, the candles blew out, leaving them completely in the dark. "Get the light. Please, get the light!" Bonnie screamed as the four scrambled around the room.

"Caroline your standing on my foot!"

"AAAHHH! Ghost!"

"It's me Caroline! Stop hitting me!"

"AAAHHHHH!"

"Care! Stop it- Ow!"

"Hold on. I got it." Elena called out, turning the light switch on. As Dawn turned to glare at Caroline while rubbing the sore spot on her arm, the blonde smiled sheepishly. "In my defense, I thought you were a ghost…" Caroline informed her.

The blonde just rolled her eyes as Bonnie gasped, causing them to turn to her. "You guys, the necklace. It's gone."

 **…**

With the football in his hand, Damon smirked at his baby brother. Running around playing football and laughing, reminded Damon of the good old days. The days before Katherine. The days before she got in between their friendship and brotherhood. Before he could ponder anymore about Katherine and Stefan, he was tackled to the ground by said brother.

Allowing his head to hit the ground, Damon groaned as Stefan grunted. "That hurt." He moaned.

Turning his head to face his brother, Stefan winced. "Downside of my diet-getting hit actually hurts a little bit."

Damon just chuckled, shaking his head as he pushed the football away from him. Looking up at the night sky, Damon noticed how it was practically crowded with stars. Although he couldn't count them all, he estimated that there must have been at least seventy stars in the sky. Perhaps this had to do with Dawn, perhaps it didn't. "I'm impressed Stefan. Fun with booze and darts, sentimental with football, and now? Starry night. What do you want, Stefan?"

Frowning, Stefan allowed his broody self to come back. "It wasn't real, Damon. Our love for Katherine. She compelled us. We didn't have a choice. Took me years to sort that out, to truly understand what she did to us."

Pulling himself up from the ground, Damon scowled. "Oh, no, Stefan. We are not takin' that on tonight."

As he began to walk away, Stefan's voice stopped him. "What do you want with Katherine's crystal?"

Turning to face his baby brother, Damon narrowed his eyes. "How do you know about that?"

"Come on. You knew Elena would tell me."

Damon clenched his jaw. "How do you know it was Katherine's? Emily gave it to her on her last night. I was with her, and you weren't."

Sending him a disbelieving look, Stefan shook his head. "I was the last one to see her, Damon. Now, what do you want with Katherine's crystal?"

"She didn't tell you?"

He shrugged. "We had other things on our mind."

An uncontrollable urge of anger flooded over Damon as he vamp-sped over to Stefan, getting up in his face. "I could rip your heart out and not think twice about it."

Stefan smirked. "I've heard that before."

"I have a bigger surprise, Stefan." He backed away from his brother. "I'm gonna bring her back." With that, he turned and walked away, leaving a gaping Stefan.

 **…**

Matt lounged across his sofa, his eyes on the television screen as the redheaded news anchor pulled a microphone up to her mouth. " _Breaking news; only a week ago, a horrendous earthquake occurred, an earthquake that killed millions, destroyed buildings and caused great bankruptcies worldwide. The future of our next generation was ruined as scientists estimated it would take over a hundred years to get all of the cities, countries and towns back to their normal state. However, overnight, a miracle occurred! Scientists have no explanation whatsoever, but it was almost as if the earthquake never happened. Buildings were back in their normal state and the illnesses that occurred in the rescue camps were gone. People are claiming it to be a gift from God, who has removed the damage the devil had done. Scientists are working on what caused the earthquake and repaired the damage in one night. But just because the damage is fixed, it doesn't mean we will forget those who died in the earthquake."_

 **…**

Frowning, Elena looked between Caroline and Bonnie. Dawn was too shocked to even register the situation as she felt the aftermath of the séance. A cold breeze was in the room as Dawn leaned against the bannister for support. Turning to the pregnant blonde, Elena frowned worriedly. It had only been a couple of days or so since her threatened miscarriage. She was supposed to be having stress-free days and something told Elena that contacting a dead witch and freaking out, wasn't very stress-free… Noticing the look on Dawn's features, Elena frowned.

"Okay, fun's over, Caroline. You made a point, and I get it. Now give it back." Elena frowned, shaking her head as Caroline furrowed brows together.

Instantly protesting, the blonde was too busy flailing her arms in the air to notice her best friend moaning in pain. "What? Well, I didn't take it. What? What happened?"

Hearing the painful grunt, Elena turned to Dawn. The blonde was barely standing on her own and was struggling to hold onto the staircase barrier. "Dawn!" Everyone turned to the blonde, who the doppelgänger was now holding up.

"Are you okay? Oh my god, we need to get her to the hospital now! We shouldn't have done this stupid séance! This was supposed to be a fun, happy sleepover to help Dawn with a stress-free pregnancy!" Elena snapped, holding the blonde up.

Shaking her head, Dawn winced. "No, it's fine, Elena. I just need to take my meds." She mumbled.

Nodding, Elena frowned. "Where are they?"

"In my bag."

The doppelgänger took off as Caroline sat by Dawn's side. Bonnie, who was standing awkwardly, frowned worriedly. "I'll get you a drink."

 **…**

Swallowing the foul tasting pills, Dawn winced, making a disgusted noise as she took another sip of water, hoping to disguise the horrible taste. As Caroline rubbed her shoulders, Dawn reminded herself Caroline was trying to help. However, the annoying action was causing more harm due to Dawn's easily irritated attitude. Looking between Bonnie and Caroline, who were still squabbling about the necklace, the doppelgänger frowned before turning back to Dawn. "Maybe you should lay down for a bit. You can get some rest while I sort these two Muppets out."

With that, the brunette didn't give Dawn a chance to protest as she pulled her up the stairs and towards her bedroom.

 **…**

Blinking sluggishly, Dawn laid under the covers. It seemed the medication had taken a toll on her exhausted body as she tried and failed to move her legs. She could hear faint shouting and it worried her deeply. The sound of someone banging on a door caught her attention as she tried to regain the feeling back in her legs.

"Shh. Mother. I'm doing this for you."

A petite, dark-skinned woman was standing above Dawn. Before Dawn could react, the woman leaned forward and pressed her fingers against Dawn's head. Immediately, the blonde was knocked unconscious. Looking down at the body of her mother, Emily frowned. She had to do this. She was doing this for mother nature and her son.

 **…**

Furrowing his brows together, Stefan scowled as his big brother's words echoed through his mind. Damon was trying to bring back Katherine… But that was impossible, right? Katherine was dead. She had been burnt alive in the church. There was no way of bringing her back. Was Damon experiencing some sort of mental breakdown, Stefan sure hoped so! Shaking his head, Stefan sent his brother a look.

Taking a step towards the leather clad vampire, Stefan frowned. "How can you bring Katherine back?"

Smirking knowingly, Damon finally revealed the information he had withheld for over a hundred years. "Before Katherine and the others were killed in the church, you remember what it was like in this town?"

The younger brother nodded, a shiver running down Stefan's spine at the mere thought. The town had become chaos days before they barbecued the vampires in the Fell church. The vampires had ran around, killing, murdering and butchering anything they could sink their fangs into. It had been a dark time, but Stefan had been blinded by Katherine's love to notice what was going around him. "I remember the fear and the hysteria."

"Townspeople were killing vampires one by one. When they came for Katherine, I went straight to Emily, said, _'I'll do anything. Name your price. Just protect her'._ She did." Damon revealed, thinking back to the dark-skinned witch.

Stefan took another step forward, his bold brows furrowed. "How?"

Once again, the older brother sent a knowing smirk to Stefan. "She did some kind of spell with the crystal. And while the church was burning, and we thought Katherine was burning in it, she wasn't."

"But I saw her go inside..." Stefan mumbled in confusion.

He had seen them drag Katherine back into the cart after being shot… She was vervained… Weak. How could she have escaped? "There's a tomb underneath the church. The spell sealed Katherine in that tomb, protecting her." Damon revealed.

For once, Stefan looked shock. Did this mean Katherine was alive? Hopefully not, the vixen would no doubt rip the town apart till it rained blood. And Katherine didn't share, Stefan knew the vampire would harm Elena… He wouldn't let Katherine harm innocents, not again. "Are you telling me that Katherine's alive?"

Nodding, Damon hummed. "If that's what you wanna call it. She's been trapped in a mystical holding cell for the last century and a half, but you're an expert on starving a vampire, so how do you think she's doing, Stefan? Did you know that witches can use celestial events to draw energy into their magic? Me either. But in order to give the crystal its power, Emily used the comet that was passing overhead. And, in order for that crystal to work again..." He trailed off.

Damon's smirk widened when Stefan finished his sentence off. "The comet had to return."

"Downside? Long time in between comets. And, a couple of hiccups along the way with the crystal, but the comet passed, and I got the crystal. And then Caroline got the crystal, and now Bonnie has the crystal, and here we are."

Shaking his head, Stefan tried to register why Emily would do this for Damon. Witches protected their own, not vampires, even if she was Katherine's handmaid, she was never fully loyal to the doppelgänger. "Why would Emily...? Why would she do this for you?"

"Because she knew they were gonna come for her, too, and she made me promise that her lineage would survive." Damon explained.

A memory of two small children in Damon's arms flashed back to Stefan for a moment. That's why he had saved the two children of Emily Bennett. Of course. Damon wouldn't do anything that didn't benefit himself… "I remember. You saved her children."

He nodded, picking the ball back up. "It's the only thing keeping me from ripping that little Bonnie girl's throat out to get my crystal back. Oh well, a deal's a deal. So... You wanna go throw some more?"

 **…**

 _"_ _Oh dear…"_

 _Opening her eyes, Dawn found Selene sat over her, a small smile on her face as Dawn groaned tiredly. "My head." Dawn moaned, leaning back for a moment before meeting Selene's eyes._

 _"_ _Yeah… Emily is pretty determined to stop that church from being opened. But, the reason she's doing it, to protect you, to protect her family." Selene explained, helping Dawn sit up as the blonde frowned._

 _Did all of this have anything to do with the fact Katherine was under the church? "What do you mean?"_

 _Selene frowned. "She's going to stop your 'friend' from opening the tomb underneath the church."_

 _Furrowing her brows together, Dawn sat up. "What? But he loves her… Surely she can sympathize?" Dawn questioned._

 _The auburn haired woman chuckled. "He doesn't love her, sweetheart. Anyways, this is for the best, mother. I promise." Selene smiled, her eyes warm as Dawn frantically shook her head._

 _"_ _No… No… I have to stop her… He deserves to be happy…"_

 _Before Selene could protest, Dawn managed to pull herself away from the field and woke up in Elena's bed._

 **…**

Eyeing the possessed witch, Damon paced, noticing that she had set up some sort of symbol on the ground… Taking a step forward, Damon's eyes raked down Bonnie's figure. "Hello Emily. You look different."

The witch turned to him, Bonnie's eyes glaring into his as she shook her head. "I won't let you do it."

Clenching his jaw, Damon took a step forward, making sure he didn't look too threatening. The woman was a witch and Dawn wasn't here to control her so called 'child'. "We had a deal."

For a moment, her eyes were sympathetic. "Things are different now. I need to protect my family." She urged.

Damon frowned, taking another step forward. " _I_ protected your family. You owe me."

The witch wasn't intimidated, she could easily take down the vampire with the flick of her wrist, well Bonnie's wrist. Nodding, she frowned. "I know. I'm sorry."

Letting out an animalistic growl, Damon took a step forward. "You're about to be a lot more than that."

As Damon rushed forward, the witch was too quick. She lifted Bonnie's hand and threw Damon against a tree. The vampire groaned as he looked down at the branch he was impaled on. Luckily it was through his stomach and not his heart…

 **…**

With a grin on her features, Jenna couldn't help but embrace the feeling of happiness as Alaric walked her back to the door. Stupid butterflies were fluttering in her stomach, while her palms were sweaty. She felt like she was on her first date again… Okay, maybe it wasn't a date, but it felt like one! Jeremy had ditched his aunt with his new history teacher when he noticed the way Jenna looked at Ric. She honestly looked at him like he was a huge, juicy stake!

Shaking her head, Jenna flushed. Thankfully, it was too dark to notice. "You're so wrong. I'm much more pathetic."

Alaric snorted, turning to the beautiful redhead as they sadly got closer to her front door. He had only known the feisty red head for a couple of hours, but he couldn't help but notice the warm feeling in his stomach. He hadn't felt like this since Isobel…

"Oh no no. I've got you beat. I have pathetic down to a science." Alaric insisted.

The guardian of Elena and Jeremy Gilbert snorted, shaking her head. Placing a hand on her hips, she sent him a competitive glance. "Oh no. We haven't even covered high school. Braces, A-cup." She laughed.

A small blush rose along Ric's neck for a moment as he laughed. "Glasses, skin condition." Ric retorted, thinking back to his hideous yearbook photos.

As they approached the door, Jenna couldn't help but curse her beautiful sister for not getting a longer driveway! Stopping outside the door, Alaric paused. "You can... You know what? I'm not gonna invite you in." She made a hand gesture towards the stairs. "Jeremy."

Ric nodded, sending her a small smile. "Well, some other time then. Have a good night, Jenna."

As Ric walked away, Jenna walked inside, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach along with the disappointment that Ric hadn't kissed her. Okay, they hadn't been on a date, but it was like a date… In a way. As she entered the kitchen, her eyes immediately found Jeremy, who was rifling through a cardboard box, searching through his dad's family history.

"So, you found the boxes."

The young teen looked up at the boxes, a smirk on his face. He held up the photograph of Logan and Jenna from high school. "I found this, too."

"Me and Logan. That's just cruel." Jenna moaned, her eyes scanning over the picture. Thankfully, this was after the A-cups and braces. After all, Logan was a shallow douchbag who dated on looks, he hadn't even looked at her before she developed larger breasts, got rid of her braces and tamed her red curls…

Jeremy snorted, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Cruel is dating my history teacher."

The redhead smirked. "I'm not dating him... Yet."

 **…**

As the wind fiercely crackled, Stefan pulled an annoyed Damon off the tree branch as Elena cowered behind him, her gaze on her possessed best friend. As Damon's wound slowly healed over, he let out a low growl underneath his breath. "It hurts. This is why I feed on people."

"No!"

The three turned to see Dawn speed walking towards them. She would have been running, but her sore feet prevented her in doing so. The blonde looked slightly mad to be quite frank. Her blonde hair was frizzy and sticking up in all sorts of different directions, her hazel eyes were wide, her feet were bare and she should have been freezing. She was only wearing a pair of pajama shorts and a vest top that was tight on her bump, she should have been freezing from the wild wind, but her cheeks were flushed pink, probably from her Olympic sprint to the church.

As Damon's wound healed over, Emily dropped to her knees. "I'm doing this for you, mother." Emily insisted.

Shaking her head, Dawn took a step forward, her feet moving across the crunching leaves as Elena gasped. The doppelgänger tried to stop Dawn, but was pushed back by a gentle gust of wind, causing her to bump into Stefan. Dawn had her hand held up. She had controlled the wind… "It's okay, Elena." Dawn mumbled, trying to ignore the fact that Damon's eyes were trained on her.

"Dawnie…" Damon mumbled, causing her eyes to meet his.

After a moment, she turned to look at Emily. She couldn't let Emily do this. Damon just wanted to be reunited with the girl he loved, was that so wrong? Emily, who was still bowed down, frowned. "Mother… These people don't deserve this. They should never have to know such evil. You serve nature, this evil will destroy nature…" Emily insisted, clutching the crystal in her palm as Dawn furrowed her brows together.

Damon had told her Katherine was the only one in the tomb… "What do you mean?" Dawn asked the witch.

As Emily went to reply, Damon quickly cut her off. "Emily. I swear to God, I'll make you regret this." Damon growled, causing Dawn to furrow her brows together. What the…

"I won't let him unleash them, mother. I'm doing this for you." Emily re-insisted, her knee's digging into the dirt as she reached out, urging Dawn to take her hands. "Please… Trust me. Vampires are abominations against nature, against you, they are a curse created by a desperate woman, but witches, we are your children, Dawn. The earth is your child. Trust me." Emily begged, her eyes darting between Damon and Dawn.

For a moment, Dawn hesitated. Emily had a point, but Damon… He was her _friend_... Turning to Damon, Emily narrowed her eyes at him. "I won't let you unleash them into this world."

Spinning to face Damon, ignoring Emily's outstretched hand for a moment, Dawn frowned. "You said it was just Katherine in there…" Dawn mumbled, her voice trailing off as Damon winced. Just by the look on his face, Dawn knew he lied to her. All men were the same…

Turning back to Emily, Dawn took her hands in her own. "Tell me what happened…"

"I saved her, but to save her, I had to save them all. They have starved for one-hundred-and-forty-six years, they blame the town and will take it out on the town." Emily insisted, causing Dawn to furrow her brows together.

Damon quickly intervened, noticing Dawn's new hesitance to help him. "I don't care about them. I just want Katherine."

Turning to his brother, Stefan frowned. "I knew I shouldn't have believed a single word that comes out of your mouth. This isn't about love, is it? This is about revenge."

The older brother snorted, not recognizing the hesitance Dawn was experiencing. She didn't know what to do. "The two aren't mutually exclusive."

"Damon, you can't do this."

"Why not? They killed 27 people, and they called it a war battle. They deserve whatever they get."

"27 vampires, Damon. They were vampires. You can't just bring them back."

"This town deserves this."

"You're blaming innocent people for something that happened 145 years ago."

"There is nothing innocent about these people, and don't think for a second it won't happen again. They already know too much, and they'll burn your little grandwitch right next to us when they find out. Trust me." Damon told Emily, although the woman using Bonnie's body didn't even cast him a glance.

The two continued to bicker as Dawn slowly let go of Emily's hand. "I'm sorry."

The witch looked down, her eyes sad as she began to cry. Dawn was surprised when the witch let out a small sob. "F-forgive me, m-m-mother. But I'm doing this for you. For y-your son." With that, the dead witch raised her palm, causing Dawn to be pushed out the pentagram. As she did so, the wind picked up dramatically. But it wasn't Dawn doing so… It was done by angered deceased witches and an angered nature. Gulping, Emily raised her hands.

Dawn, who had landed in Damon's arms, gasped, touching her stomach as if she was asking if her child was okay. As she noticed the wind, Elena looked at Dawn. "Is that you?"

The blonde shook her head slowly. "No…"

"Then is it…" Elena trailed off.

"Nature. I think." Dawn finished for her as Elena pulled Dawn out of Damon's arms.

"I can't free them. I won't. Incendia!"

The pentagram Emily had carved into the dirt around her set ablaze, the flames created a wall between Emily, Damon, Stefan, Elena and a disorientated Dawn.

Damon took a step forward, only to have the flames ward him back. "No! No, please."

"Bonnie!"

"No!"

Ignoring Damon's protests, the possessed girl threw the necklace into the air. It was almost slow motion for Damon as the crystal exploded into the air. Emily departed from Bonnie's body, allowing the flames to dilute into the dirt, leaving Bonnie unprotected. The brunette sat up, her eyes wide with horror as she tried to remember what had happened. All she could remember was going into the bathroom.

Before Dawn could try and comfort Damon, the raven-haired vampire darted forward. Due to the deal being off, Damon took pleasure in tearing into Bonnie's soft skin. As Bonnie and Elena let out screams, Dawn gasped, raising a hand and pushing the vampire away with the wind.

"Bonnie!"

The pregnant blonde ignored Damon, who was now standing at the side, his gaze lingering on Dawn. "Bonnie!" Dawn cried out as Elena and Stefan rushed to the brunette. Moving her fingers against Bonnie's wrist, Dawn sighed in relief. "She's alive, but barely. I can save her."

Before Stefan could offer his blood to the witch, Dawn placed her hands on Bonnie's head. Stefan and Elena watched in amazement as Dawn began to glow gold, her eyes closed as Bonnie's neck wound healed and her heart returned to its natural beat. Opening her eyes, Dawn ran a hand through Bonnie's hair in a comforting manner. "It's okay, Bon… I promise. Everything's okay."

 **…**

Pulling her hair into a loose ponytail, Caroline pursed her lips in irritation as she tried to register everything that had happened. Bonnie was a witch, Dawn was mother nature and Bonnie had faked being attacked by a ghost… It was a lot to take in. But she did, at first Caroline hadn't believed Dawn, but she trusted her best friend enough to tell the truth. Plus, Dawn had showed Caroline a mini, weirdly adorable tornado in the palm of her hands.

The whole thing was weird, but not in a bad way. Currently, Dawnie was at Elena's resting. After she freaked out about Bonnie faking being attacked by this so called Emily chick, Caroline had left. Originally she had insisted waking and taking Dawn home with her, however, the blonde had been fast asleep and Caroline hadn't honestly had the heart to wake the pregnant girl. One; Dawn loved sleeping, two; Dawn was pregnant meaning she could turn into an angry demon anytime and three; Dawn didn't get too much sleep nowadays.

Sighing, Caroline pushed a stray strand of hair out of her eyes. However, Dawn's extra credit report template caught the corner of her eye as she huffed. Why did Dawn even accept the project? Ric, as the trendy teacher insisted to be called, had told Dawn she didn't have to do the project, but Dawn being Dawn, accepted… Caroline was honestly beyond worried about her best friend. Dawn was supposed to be having a stress-free life for the rest of her pregnancy, not do huge ass reports!

Turning away from the mirror, Caroline almost grabbed her pillow and threw it out the window when she caught sight of a blonde head climbing to her window. The blonde sighed in relief when she noticed it was Matt… Good thing she hadn't thrown her pillow at him and made him fall.

"Hey." Matt greeted, climbing through the mirror as Caroline frowned, sitting on her bed and hugging the pillow to her chest.

"What are you doing here?" Caroline asked, annoyed as Matt looked back towards the window.

Pointing at the window, he smiled, hoping to crack a smile out of her solemn features. "Your window was open. I thought you should know."

Crossing her arms over her chest and pushing the pillow away, Caroline huffed. " _Not_ funny."

Shifting on his feet awkwardly, Matt rubbed the back of his neck before letting out a sigh. "Earlier today, I lied."

"About?" Caroline questioned, arching a brow in confusion.

For a moment, he hesitated. "About being in bed with you. We cuddled and it creeped me out."

Her mouth dropped in surprise. She creeped him out? Well, that was rude… She wasn't creepy, was she? Dawn had stuck by her side for eleven years, so she couldn't be that creepy as she hadn't drove the pregnant blonde away, yet. "It creeped you out? I mean, did you just come over here to insult me or what? Because it's been a really long night—"

"-It's just that... I don't like you. I never have. But... It was nice." Matt cut her off before she could get any more offended, if that was possible.

Perhaps saying a girl was creepy wasn't the best way to tell her he liked her… Caroline's expression practically dripped confusion. "What?"

"Being in bed with you, it felt nice. And so, I was thinking about it, and I thought that I should tell you I stayed because you were all sad and alone and I felt bad for you." Matt responded, mentally face-palming at his choice of words.

Caroline narrowed her beautiful blue-green eyes. "Well, thank you, 'cause I love being a charity case. You can leave now."

The quarter back shifted on his feet, flustered and frustrated that his words were spilling out and his brain was turning to mush around the beautiful blonde. Maybe he did feel something for her… "No, because I know! With Vicki gone, and my mom off with Pete whoever, it's just me, so...I know."

 **...**

As Dawn and Elena tended to Bonnie, Stefan hesitantly approached Damon, who was sitting in the woods near the church ruins. As Damon looked up at Stefan, he failed to notice Dawn's concerned gaze on him. "Katherine never compelled me. I knew everything. Every step of the way. It was real for me. I'll leave now."

 **…**

As Dawn wrapped a spare blanket from Elena's trunk, around Bonnie's shoulders, she ignored the panging pain in her abdomen. When Damon had hurt Bonnie… She had wanted to hurt him, and that scared her. Damon had been mad, frustrated, but he shouldn't have attacked Bonnie. Bonnie was innocent, she had been possessed by Emily. Perhaps even herself was to blame, after all, Dawn hadn't stopped Emily. But she couldn't have hurt her. It felt wrong. Glancing at Damon briefly, Dawn's gaze softened, he looked so… Broken. Peering back down at Bonnie, Dawn knew she had to be with her friend, then she would comfort Damon.

Accepting the blanket that Dawn placed around her shoulders, the dark-skinned beauty glanced between them. "I don't understand, what happened to me? He attacked me, and his face was like..."

Dawn bit her lip, exchanging glances with Elena before changing the subject. They'd have to tell Bonnie soon, but not right now. She needed to calm down first. "How do you feel? Are you okay?" Dawn asked, her voice soothing as Bonnie smiled weakly.

"I'm fine. Thank you for healing me, Dawnie."

The pregnant blonde nodded, sending her a faint smile as Stefan approached them. Immediately, Bonnie grabbed Dawn's arm, pulling herself back as she looked at him wearily. Elena frowned at this.

"I'm not gonna hurt you." Stefan reassured the frightened brunette.

Unsure, Bonnie looked between Elena and Dawn. "What's going on?"

"I'll explain everything, Bonnie. Okay? Let's just get out of here. Bonnie. Bonnie, look at me." The brunette didn't look away from Stefan, her eyes wide with fear. Dawn quickly cut in, placing her hand on Bonnie's. It seemed she was finally becoming used to physical, minimal contact, which Dawn put down to her amazing new friendships and Caroline. "Bonnie, hey, look at me. Trust me. He's not going to hurt you. Come on. Come on." Dawn slowly lead Bonnie to Elena's car, allowing Elena and Stefan to talk in private.

Elena sent her a grateful glance before turning back to Stefan. "I'm gonna tell her the truth." Elena informed Stefan, and judging from the tone of her voice, there was no way to persuade her differently.

"You sure?"

The doppelgänger nodded. "I can trust her. I can't keep this from her Stefan, not after tonight. I can't live in secret."

Stefan frowned, almost guiltily. "You shouldn't have to."

"I'm sorry, Stefan. I thought that I couldn't be with you, but I can. You don't have to push me away. I can do this." Elena paused, grabbing his hand affectionately as she sent him a smile.

However, the smile was wiped off her face when Stefan pulled his hand away from her own. "I can't. I have to leave, Elena. Too many people have died. Too much has happened."

She furrowed her brows together, almost sadly as she shook her head. She had lost her parents to the bridge, previously her brother to drugs, she couldn't lose Stefan. "What? No! I know you think you're protecting me, but..."

Stefan cut her off quickly. "I have to. Coming home was... It was a mistake. I can't be a part of your life anymore."

"Don't go Stefan. Please... You don't have to. This is your home. Please, don't go." Elena begged, her voice cracking as Stefan frowned, wincing. Her big doe orbs watered.

Slowly, he turned around and grabbed her hand. After pressing a kiss to her knuckles, he allowed her hand to drop to her side. "Good-bye, Elena."

With that, he turned away, causing her lower lip to tremble. "You're just gonna walk away? Don't walk away, Stefan! Stefan!" Elena begged, tears now streaming down her cheeks as Stefan didn't turn around. He continued to walk away as Elena stood alone, crying. He was doing this for her, for her own good, despite his own feelings. He wanted nothing more than to gather her up in his arms and kiss away her tears. But he couldn't. He didn't know what he'd do if she got hurt.

 **…**

After comforting Elena, explaining everything to Bonnie and tucking both the girls in bed, Dawn decided to visit Damon. It was wrong of her to want to comfort the man who had recently hurt her friend, but Dawn couldn't help it. The look on his face when the crystal was destroyed… He had lost his chance at getting the woman he loved back… After a moment of hesitation, Dawn slowly rang the eccentric bell and stood outside the door.

Almost instantly, the door swung open, revealing Damon. A glass of bourbon was in his hand and he practically reeked of alcohol. Despite her nerves, Dawn smiled.

"Hey, I was just checking if you you're okay-" Dawn began, but was cut off by Damon pressing a finger against her lips.

The blonde's eyes darted down to his finger, widened and slightly crossed before they flickered back up to Damon. "Ummm." Dawn mumbled uncomfortably as Damon stroked her bottom lip.

"Shh, Dawnie. Now, let's get to the good part. You strip naked, then I strip naked… And I think you get the gist." Damon purred, causing the blonde to back away, trembling as Damon wiggled his brows at her.

Shaking her head, Dawn paled. "No… No… No…" She mumbled, almost in a trance as Damon leaned against the door for support.

His brows furrowed in confusion as Dawn suddenly turned away and ran as fast as she could away from the vampire. Damon watched her run away, enjoying the sight of her bum in her jeans before he turned away and downed the remains of his drink. Glancing at the empty glass, Damon rolled his eyes. It was time for yet another refill...

* * *

 **Hi guys! This chapter is up early as I am at work all week and staying at my grandparent, one has internet and the other doesn't. So I decided to update early rather than later. I'm glad you all enjoyed the last chapter! I also updated a little early as this week had been amazing for me. I found out my cousin wants me to be godmother to her six-month, first child. I never thought I'd be a godmother at sixteen. His name is Lewis and he is literally the cutest thing to exist on this earth! This fic is actually inspired by my cousin's pregnancy and Lewis, which is why I wanted the baby to be a boy. Also, I found the cutest name before realizing it completely clashed with Dawn's last name -_-. Could you imagine Elliot Ellis? :'D Anyways, sorry this chapter is shorter than usual. If anyone wants to suggest baby names, it would be highly appreciated! Plus, sorry for any mistakes. I edited this really quick...**

 **In response to:**

 **BrittStar1199:** _Great suggestions! Malachai is one of my favorite names, but I think it will be a bit confusing with Kai. Also, I have another Harley Quinn OC and the main character is called Malachai. I haven't actually watched TO yet as I am still finishing the vampire diaries and am on season 3 of supernatural. But, Dawn will be very heartbroken, but she will do all she can to protect her friends and 'kill' Klaus. She'll also know it is for the best and that she'll see her son very soon. Damon will react badly at first, but when he finds out Dawn is needed in the ceremony, he'll know it's for the best and that the baby will be back after. Dawn will end up giving the baby (rather reluctantly) to a mystery character you haven't met yet! You'll meet her in season two! Thanks for the lovely review **!**_

 **Sbritt264:** _I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! Thanks for reviewing._

 **Galwidanatitud:** _Thank you,_ _I appreciate the kind words and am glad you're enjoying it so far. Thank you for reviewing._

 **KEZZ 1:** _Thank you for the nice words and for the review._

 **PirateWizardThief:** _Thank you:), I love Alaric so much! He's weirdly adorable! And his friendship with Damon is life, well, along with his relationship with Stefan and Sam and Dean's relationship, lol. Yeah, both Dawn and Elena are awkwardly stuck in the middle. Thanks for the constant reviews:)x_

 **GhostlySights:** _I love the names Jude and August. Very beautiful names:). She is gonna be crushed, as much as I love Damon, I don't understand how Stefan forgave him straight away for killing Lexi… I mean, I'm still pissed! Despite her little appearances on the show, I loved Lexi, she reminded me a little of Caroline, which was why her and Dawn got along. I completely agree! Thanks for the lovely review!_

 **Frozen862 (chapter eight):** _I understand, but don't worry, except the dead people, everything else will be fixed by Dawn. You have to remember she had no idea she was mother nature and was experiencing a trauma which will later be revealed._

 **Guest (chapter 1, Aug 26):** _Thanks for reviewing._

 **Adela:** _I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! Thanks for the review._

 **Natalie:** **Chapter twelve review:** _The baby's father will be revealed at the end of season one when Dawn and Damon develop further. I completely agree. I think I was more annoyed at Julie Plec than Elena for turning Katherine into a human! I hated when Katherine took over Elena's body! I prefer Stefan and Katherine rather than Elijah and Katherine. Before she jumped into Elena and was dying, Stefan was there for her and yet Elijah was in New Orleans. If he really loved Katherine, he'd have been there for her, even if it meant he had to leave Klaus and Haley for a day or two. I didn't like the way Elena destroyed their relationship, but Katherine brought it on herself lying to Elijah. Although they will have a respected understanding, Dawn will not stand the way Katherine hurts and betrays people as although the two have small similarities, Dawn is also the polar opposite of Katherine. Thanks for the first review_ ** _!_ **

**Natalie: Chapter thirteen review:** _Thank you! The only reason Dawn would see vampires as abominations as they were made by Esther using dark magic, betraying other nature in the process. This is why witches look down at vampires. And as she fully embraces being mother nature, these views will kick in and perhaps for a couple of chapters she'll be a bit funny with Damon. She wouldn't think of vampires as evil. But she'd probably see Damon with the baby and realize how wrong she was. She'd also sympathize with the originals. Also, about Esther, Dawn will be conflicted because she will be friends with Bekah. So she'd be having a moral fight. On one side Esther was a witch, one of her pure children, but then she would be trying to kill her friend in order to impress Dawn and prove her loyalty. In the end, Dawn would not like Esther. For the balance. Thanks for the lovely review!_

 **Guest (chapter thirteen, Aug 26):** _Thanks for reviewing!_

 **SomebodyWhoCares:** _Interesting;). Thanks for the review._

 **Gracefully:** _Thanks for the review!_

* * *

 **Please review for more:).**


	15. f i f t e e n

**1X10 The turning point**

 **Dawn Ellis played by Dianna Agron**

With a guarded expression on his face, Stefan walked into the parlor, immediately he was met by the sight of Damon staring out the window. His posture was tense as he clutched the glass of bourbon in his hand. Part of Damon wanted to leave, he didn't want to stay in the town where his unreachable, mummified girlfriend was, but then again, Dawn was in the town. And as much as he had been denying it, the human girl made him feel something. She made him feel… Human. Was he really ready to lose that?

"So any idea of where you'll go?"

If Stefan surprised his older brother, he wouldn't have been able to tell. His brother continued to stare out the window, his cold blue eyes trained on the greenery of the garden. Taking another sip of the strong alcohol, Damon paused. When the bourbon was completely gone, he placed the empty glass on a surface nearby and turned to his brother who was looking at him in anticipation. "I don't know. London, maybe. See some friends."

Scoffing, Stefan shook his head. "You don't have any friends, Damon."

For a moment, Damon was silent, almost as if Stefan's words were sinking in. Taking a step towards his brother, he nodded. "You're right, Stefan. I only have you. So, where are we going?"

A frown curled across Stefan's lips as he narrowed his eyes. " _We_ are not going anywhere. I'm gonna live my life as far away from you as possible."

Damon continued to stride towards his brother, his eyes teasing as a smirk found its way onto his lips. "But we're a team! We could travel the world together. We could try out for _'The Amazing Race'_." He mocked.

"Mmmm, that's funny. Seriously, where are you going? Because we are not staying in this town." Stefan snapped, his brows furrowed as Damon chuckled. "What, and leave precious little Dawnie behind? Guess she'll have to come along with us." Damon teased.

Tensing, the younger brother went to reply, but was cut off by the doorbell ringing. The two brothers exchanged glances before Stefan left the parlor and opened the front door. He was met by a stressed Elizabeth Forbes. Black bags outlined her eyes, her cheeks were puffy in exhaustion, her uniform was wrinkled and her hair was sticking up slightly.

"I'm here to see Damon." She announced without saying a 'hello'.

Stefan blinked in surprise. "Uh, sure. Ok."

When the older brother came to the door, Stefan walked away, leaving them alone, yet still listening into their conversation. "Sheriff. What a surprise."

The older woman sent him a strained smile. "Sorry to bother you, but we need to talk."

Nodding, Damon opened the door wider. "Come in."

With that, the blonde entered the boarding house and allowed Damon to lead her into the back courtyard. It was very beautiful. Lots of flowers, plants and even a small fountain, Dawn would have really loved it. "Um, I hope you understand the secrecy. Stefan doesn't know about this yet and I'd like to keep it that way." Damon apologized, walking beside her, knowing Stefan was listening in.

"Of course, kids are too young to be brought into this." The Sheriff sighed, thinking to Dawn and Caroline.

Liz honestly hoped the two would never know about the creatures that lurked in the dark. Both of them were too innocent to be brought into it. "So, what do you need?" Damon asked, cutting the blonde out of her thoughts.

"There's been another attack. A female victim, her throat torn out, completely drained of blood. It fits the pattern."

Damon hid his surprise and bowed his head in sympathy. "I'm sorry. I don't understand. I thought we solved that problem when I… Staked the blonde one."

The Sheriff met his eyes, grimacing. "I'm thinking she must have turned someone. Or multiple someones. I don't know. The story for the town is another animal attack, but I'm not sure how long we can keep lying to them. The council is in an uproar. We thought we were past this."

"So, uh, what do we do?"

She hesitated. "You're the only one who's ever taken on a vampire. We were hoping you could tell us."

 **…**

For a change, things were going pretty well for Caroline Forbes. So far, her and Matt weren't 'girlfriend and boyfriend', they were more going through their first date stage. It was complicated to explain; which Caroline had realized when she attempted to do so to Dawnie. The pregnant blonde had been happy for her and had claimed Caroline needed someone nice. Sending him a smile, Caroline's hip bumped against his, causing tingles to run through her body.

"And then the ballet dancer and the Krumper did the salsa." Matt explained the movie they had watched, a small smile on his face as Caroline rolled her eyes.

Blushing, she pouted. During the movie they had watched together, she had fallen asleep and as Dawn pointed out a lot, Caroline was not an attractive sleeper. It turned out, she drooled all over Matt's shirt, snored and kicked him… "Well, I was awake for that part."

The football player thought for a minute. "Well, I don't know when you fell asleep. Umm, did you see the Celine Dion waltz about cancer?"

"Those always make me cry!" Caroline exclaimed, shaking her head as Matt chuckled.

"Yeah, and then the loud judge kept screaming and I couldn't take it, so I turned it off."

The two stopped walking and faced each other. "I sat through Family Guy." She poked him in the chest playfully. "So, you owe me."

 **…**

Sandwiched between her two friends, as per usual, Dawn clutched her history book to her bump as she thought about Damon. She hadn't told the two girls that she had gone to see Damon after looking after Bonnie… She knew they wouldn't be happy, and rightfully so… However, Dawn couldn't help but feel anxious about him, ever since he flirted with her crudely and to be quite honest, scared her.

"Did I miss something?"

Elena's voice snapped Dawn out of her trance as she turned to see what the two were looking at. Caroline and Matt were standing by the end of the hall, their hands awfully close to each other and smiles on their faces. A warm feeling flooded through Dawn. It was nice to see her friend happy. Although she didn't know Matt too well, Bonnie had told her he was a nice guy, which Dawn was glad about. Caroline deserved someone who would treat her like a princess.

"They've been hanging out. I thought I told you…" Dawn mumbled, trying to recall if she told Elena or not.

Glancing at the petite, pregnant blonde beside her, Elena shook her head. "I don't think you did…"

Bonnie snorted at this. "You two are as bad as each other with your memories! They've been hanging out, a lot." The dark-haired witch turned to them, wiggling her brows as Dawn giggled.

Looking back to the two, who were now entering their class, Elena raised a brow. "Kind of weird, don't you think?"

The witch shrugged. "She needs someone nice like him, as opposed to a homicidal vampire like Damon."

Dawn couldn't help but frown at the comment, it was a little mean. Damon had bitten her out of anger, which was totally unacceptable, but he was upset. How was it possible to be so conflicted?! Deciding not to comment, Dawn stiffened.

"Yeah, how are you doing with all that?" Elena asked in concern as Dawn glanced up, meeting Bonnie's eyes.

She hesitated. "I'm freaked out. Damon attacked me. I could be dead right now. But I'm also grateful."

"Hmm?"

The brunette elaborated. "To this little beauty right here-" She paused to poke Dawn's side causing her to flush. "You saved my life, Dawn." Bonnie smiled as Elena grinned.

Flushing even redder, the pregnant blonde moved her textbook from her bump and placed a hand on it. "I-I-It was nothing…"

Bonnie scoffed and smiled. "If you say so, Dawnie… Anyways, have you seen Stefan?"

The doppelgänger tensed, stopping by her locker. She removed her pretty scarf and threw it, along with her bag, inside the locker. Turning to Dawn, Elena motioned towards Dawn's bag and books. The blonde smiled gratefully and passed her book and bag to Elena, who carefully placed them in the locker. "Not since he told me he was leaving. For all I know, he's already gone."

Shaking her head, Bonnie frowned. "He wouldn't leave without saying goodbye."

Dawn nodded. "Yeah. Stefan's a nice guy. He wouldn't do that to you, he really likes you." Dawn smiled. Although comforted by the blonde's words, she wasn't completely reassured.

Hesitating, Elena retrieved hers and Dawn's English books from the locker and clutched them to her chest. "Thanks Dawnie, but yes, he would. He thinks he's protecting me. Clean break and all that." She admitted, closing the locker while still holding Dawn's book. The pregnant blonde didn't seem to notice her book in Elena's arms as she glanced between the two.

"So, what are you gonna do?"

Elena sighed. "What am I supposed to do? I've already begged him not to go. If I ask again, I'm being selfish. It is what it is."

With that, the trio continued to make their way down the hall. While Bonnie had geography, Dawn and Elena had English. Luckily, the two classes were near each other, meaning Bonnie didn't have to walk alone. "Maybe it's for the best." Elena paused, turning to Bonnie with furrowed brows.

Dawn tensed. "What? Why?" The doppelgänger questioned.

The witch shrugged, her features softening. "I mean, what kind of future could you have had with him, even if he stayed?"

Before Elena could defend hers and Stefan's relationship, a banner fell down on top of them. Dawn spluttered as she wrestled the banner of her head. The blonde flushed sheepishly as she ran a hand over her hair in an attempt to smooth her static hair. It would have been an amusing situation if it wasn't for the writing on the banner. _'The Promise of your Future.'._

The two girls beside Elena exchanged wide eyed glances as Elena frowned, looking between them. "Did you just...?"

"No, I swear." Bonnie protested, holding her hands in the air.

The doppelgänger turned to Dawn. "Dawnie?"

She shook her head. "It wasn't me, I swear."

The brunette sighed, kicking the banner out the way before storming ahead. Dawn quickly hurried after Elena, huffing in her pregnant state as Bonnie lingered behind, giving them some personal space.

"Elena… E-Elena… Can't…. Breath… Ugh!" Dawn panted, catching up with Elena by running on her sore feet.

Turning to Dawn, Elena's features softened in guilt when she noticed how exhausted and sweaty Dawn was from running not even a hundred meters. "You okay? Look, I'm sure it was just a weird, coincide." Dawn reassured, smiling tiredly as she huffed to catch her breath.

Elena nodded. "Maybe…"

 **…**

As Liz exited the boarding house, Damon shut the door. Just as the front door slammed, Stefan grabbed Damon by the shirt, pinning him against the door as his nostrils flared. Had Damon killed someone? It hadn't been him and it couldn't have been Lexi, well, not now anyways…

With a tight grip, Stefan clutched Damon's shirt, knowing that Damon could easily overpower him. "What is wrong with you? You killed somebody?"

Damon scowled. "Get off of me." He pushed his brother off him, brushing down his shirt in disgust. "A) don't touch me. B) if I had, I wouldn't have been so obvious about it.-" He walked around Stefan, turning back for a moment to face him. "C) There's another vampire in town."

The younger brother shook his head in denial. "That's impossible."

"Obviously not." He quipped.

He turned around, walking into the parlor as Stefan followed him, rather indiscreetly. Damon could hear his loud, big feet from England. "Then, who could it be?"

Damon shrugged. "Ah, what do we care? We're leaving anyway, right?"

"No, I can't leave now and you know that." He approached his brother. "How are we supposed to find this person?"

The older brother snorted. "Let the adults handle this, Stefan."

With that, Damon walked completely into the parlor, leaving Stefan in the hallway, who looked conflicted.

 **…**

Laying on her back, Dawn closed her eyes, concentrating as she remembered what Selene had told her. As the pregnant blonde took deep breaths, she began to glow gold as the sun enlarged slightly, the clouds moved aside and the breeze decreased. Upon feeling the changes, Dawn opened her eyes, marveling the sky in amazement. It had worked… Leaning back in amazement, Dawn smiled when she noticed a caterpillar on the tree nearby. After much struggle, the blonde finally managed to get to her feet and walked over to the caterpillar.

Her breath was taken away as it looked up at her, wiggling towards her outstretched finger, causing her to smile. Slowly, she moved her finger forward, stroking the small insect. Her brows furrowed in confusion as a white light came from her finger.

Afraid she had hurt the little creature, she pulled her hand away, only to find a white butterfly in the place of the caterpillar. Had she just… Yes, yes she had.

 **…**

As the hot sun beamed down on them, Tyler huffed, throwing the ball aside to grab his drink. Swallowing a large gulp of water, he threw his head back as Matt took this as a chance to down his drink. It had gotten hotter, the clouds were no longer covering the sun and the soft breeze was now gone, meaning the heat was insufferable. Pouring some of the water on his head, Tyler moaned in delight when the cool liquid cooled down his tanned skin.

"It's so hot." Matt moaned, copying Tyler as he poured some of his own cold water on his head.

Tyler groaned, throwing his drink aside, "Tell me about it…" he paused for a moment. "So, what's up with you and Forbes?"

The blond stiffened, shrugging his shoulders. "Nothing's up."

Scoffing, a smirk rose on his features as he thought back to Matt and the pretty blonde in the corridor. "I saw you two in the hall today. Don't even try to deny it, bro. You're tapping that."

Matt shook his head, uncomfortably. "No, it's not like that."

"Never is. Until you become 'we' people." With Matt distracted, Tyler grabbed the ball and aimed at the basket. Scowling, the blond snatched the ball back.

Attempting to distract the teen, who had done the same to Matt, the blond arched a brow. "-'We' people?"

Tyler nodded, distracted momentarily. "Yeah, 'we can't make it to the party', 'we'll never miss a game', 'we don't like the color red'." He mocked, throwing his arms up in exaggeration.

The blond rolled his eyes, dribbling the ball. "We hung out, like, twice."

As Tyler scoffed, Matt aimed the ball at the basket and grinned when it dropped straight through the hoop. Scowling, Tyler caught the ball and turned back to Matt.

"Like I said, 'we'."

 **…**

Crossing her legs awkwardly, Elena shifted as she leaned her back against the picnic bench. Beside her, Stefan looked equally as awkward. It seemed they were both mentally replaying the scene from last night.

Meeting his eyes, Elena frowned. "So, you have no idea who it could be?"

Another vampire, who wasn't Damon or Stefan, was going around and killing people. It honestly terrified her. But to be honest, Elena was more frightened for the safety of her friends and family. Jenna, Jeremy, Dawn, Dawn's baby boy, Caroline, Bonnie… If anyone of them got hurt…

A shiver ran down her spine at the thought of any of them getting hurt. Shaking his head, Stefan sighed. He was clearly stressed. "None. But it must be somebody new because leaving a body like that, they're either sloppy or they're trying to send a message."

Leaning towards him, Elena furrowed her brows. "And you're sure it's not Damon?"

"Well, I'm never sure about Damon, but he's been trying to keep a low profile lately, so it's just doesn't make any sense to me." Stefan replied, causing her to frown.

Twiddling her thumbs, Elena's gaze moved from Stefan and towards the ground. "So what are you gonna do?"

"Damon is tracking them right now." Stefan paused, stopping as he stood up and faced Elena, who seemed to be doing everything she could to avoid eye contact with him. "Look, I promised you the truth so I wanted to tell you. I want you to be careful."

Nodding, Elena stood up as well, crossing her arms over her chest. "When I saw you, I... Thought you were coming to say goodbye." Elena admitted, flushing in embarrassment.

Stefan grimaced. "Not yet."

 **…**

" _Comin' out your mouth with your blah, blah, blah, zip your lips like a padlock_." Dawn sung, clutching Caroline's silver, sparkle covered mobile in her hand. Headphones were calming her aching head down as she formed her a zip shape with her fingers and pretended to zip her lips. " _And meet me in the back with a jack and the jukebox. Don't really care where you live at, just turn around boy, let me hit that._ " Dawn continued, swinging her head side to side.

Currently, she was relaxing. After a little practice with her newfound magic, Dawn had decided to go home and work on her history project. But after a couple of hours of planning and writing her introduction, she was tired and decided to have a break.

Wiggling her feet to the beat, Dawn hummed, swaying her head side to side. The song was quickly switched off as a number flashed across the screen. It didn't have a contact, but Dawn decided to answer it just in case it was important for Caroline. Pulling the earbuds out, she clicked the answer button and raised it to her ear.

"Hello?"

" _Dawnie_?"

"Damon?" She asked in mutual confusion, why was he ringing Caroline. "Can I help with something?"

He hesitated through the phone. Did he really want to bring Dawn into this? But then again, she was the only person he trusted, and she was human. Technically speaking anyways. She wasn't a vampire so she wouldn't interrupt with the compasses signal. "I need your help."

 **…**

When Damon had asked her to use a rusty compass to find another vampire, it would have been correct to say Dawn had been hesitant. But as Damon had pointed out, this vampire was killing residents, and as mother nature, she couldn't let people die before their time came to an end. Of course she couldn't help everyone, but these people shouldn't have to die from a rogue vampire.

Pulling Caroline's phone to her ear, Dawn shuffled awkwardly on her feet. "Uh, Damon… I think I found it. What should I do now? Should I go in or…" Dawn trailed off through the phone, but was quickly cut off by Damon.

"No, don't go in there Dawnie, it's too dangerous. I'll be there in a minute." Before she could protest, Damon hung up.

Frowning, she pushed Caroline's phone back into her pocket and patiently waited for Damon. "Well, don't you look pretty today?"

The blonde screamed, causing Damon to press a hand against her mouth. "Shh, Dawnie. Vamps nearby." He reminded her, pulling his mouth away as she flushed, placing a hand over her heart.

Swatting him away, she scowled. "You scared me."

Damon snorted, glancing at her outfit again. She was wearing a pair of loose joggers and a clingy tank-top. Scowling, Dawn folded her arms over her bump. "Shut up." She mumbled in embarrassment.

Holding his arms in the air, he sent her his heart melting smirk. "What? You look good."

Rolling her eyes, Dawn looked away in embarrassment as she passed him the compass. Clearing her throat, she arched a fair brow. "So, uh, what now?"

Damon looked up from the compass, absent-mindedly sliding it into his pocket as he met Dawn's eyes. "You are going to go home where it was safe and I'm going to kill this vampire."

"What?! No! You could get hurt." Dawn protested, rather loudly if Damon said so himself.

Sending her a smirk, he brushed his fingertips along Dawn's cheekbones tenderly. "I'll be fine Dawnie. And anyways, there's no way in hell you're going in there." Damon replied, noticing how Dawn didn't flinch at the contact between them. She was clearly more comfortable with him now.

Furrowing her brows together, she cocked her head to the side. "What? Why?"

Damon scoffed, sending her a disbelieving look. "Well, you're pregnant for one."

She narrowed her eyes. "Are you trying to say I can't do things because I'm pregnant?"

"What? No-"

"Are you saying that because I'm a pregnant woman I can't do things like you can, as a man?"

"What? Dawnie, no-"

"Then it's settled. Let's go." She smiled.

Damon scowled at her and moved his hands to her shoulder. Almost softly, he leaned in. "Dawnie. If you got hurt… If your son got hurt… I don't know if I'd be able to live with myself… I can't let you go in there." Damon whispered, his eyes soft as Dawn frowned.

After a moment of silence, she reluctantly nodded. "O-Okay."

Letting go of her shoulders, Damon watched her walk away slowly. She was mumbling something to herself as she spun around, sprinted to Damon and engulfed him into a tight hug.

"Be careful." She whispered as he closed his eyes, enjoying the contact. Before he could wrap his arms around her waist, she pulled away and sent him a toothy smile. "Come back in one piece. If you need any help, you know where I am." She told him before walking back to Caroline's car.

Damon watched her walk away, enjoying the sway of her hips. He knew that he'd easily be able to defeat the newborn vampire, but Dawn's concern had been sweet. And as much as having mother nature with him, would have been a huge advantage, he didn't want Dawn hurt. If anything happened to her or her baby on Damon's watch, not only would St Stefan kill him, but he liked the blonde and the thought of her getting hurt painted him.

With the thought of Dawn fresh on his mind, Damon headed into the warehouse, his eyes scanning for the newbie vampire. As soon as he entered, he could practically smell the rotting bodies that were being stored somewhere. It stunk. However, before he could further investigate, the sound of a gun going off came, and then pain.

Wooden bullets.

"I have tons of these wood bullets, so nothing funky." Logan told Damon, circling him while twirling the gun in his hands.

 **…**

Running her hands over the steering wheel, Dawn couldn't help but hesitate as a bad feeling stirred within her stomach. Moving one of her hands, Dawn placed one on her stomach, glancing back at the warehouse worriedly. He hadn't been in there for very long, maybe she was overreacting… Taking her hand from the wheel, Dawn flicked the stereo on. She'd wait a little longer for Damon and give him a lift home, after all, he had vamp-speed down to the warehouse.

 **...**

It had been at least half an hour since Damon had gone in the warehouse and Dawn was beyond concerned. She was worried he wasn't okay, but then again, what if he was disposing of bodies the vampire may have stored… She didn't want to interrupt Damon in an awkward situation as he had told her to go home… But what if he was hurt?

Shaking her head, Dawn turned the ignition key, Damon could handle himself.

 **…**

"Dawnie! Where have you been?" Caroline scowled, pulling her friend in a side hug as Dawn held her hands up, Caroline's keys in her hands. The blonde rolled her eyes, hugging her pregnant best friend.

Snatching the keys from Dawn's hand, Caroline pushed them on the hook and pursed her lips. "C'mon, I also have to give mom a ride to the school career event." Caroline was cut off by Dawn groan.

Leaning against her best friend, Dawn pouted. "Do we have to?"

She nodded in response. "Yes, now get changed." With that, she was ushered upstairs.

 **…**

As her eyes scanned the hallway, Elena approached Matt, both of them uninterested in the career fair around them. Chuckling, she sent him a small smile when she noticed his baby blue eyes scanning the different career tables. "Still wanna be an astronaut?"

Matt flushed slightly, embarrassed as he laughed and shook his head. "I can't believe you remember that."

The doppelgänger snorted as the thought back to eight-year-old Matt. "I can remember the tinfoil that you wore on your head." She teased.

He flushed pink, shaking his head. "I was eight." He mumbled back.

Elena flashed him a toothy grin, which softened when she met his blue eyes. It had been two weeks since Vicki died, or as Matt knew it, 'left town'. "How are you doing?"

The blond hesitated, which Elena noticed. Much like herself and Dawn, Matt didn't like to express his feelings. He had always felt as if he was burdening others. "I've had it easier. You? I heard some things." He continued.

Neither of the two noticed Caroline and a slow Dawn enter the room. The cheerleader was dragging Dawn by the elbow, while scolding her for walking slowly. Dawn was faintly moaning to Caroline, saying something about her swollen feet. However, Caroline soon paused when she saw Matt talking to Caroline. The playful smile dropped instantly as Dawn furrowed her brows together in confusion.

"Yeah, it is." Elena responded sympathetically.

Dawn was surprised when Caroline rushed out the room without saying a word. The pregnant blonde quickly, well as quick as she could with her swollen feet, followed the upset blonde out the room.

 **…**

"Caroline? Care? Care-bear-" The pregnant blonde paused to pant as she struggled to keep up with her best friend. "Please wait. I can't walk fast…" Dawn called out.

The cheerleaders figured tensed before she turned back to Dawn, tears in her eyes. Dawn quickly caught up with Caroline and enveloped her into a hug. Whatever had upset Caroline, it had also upset Dawn. She honestly hated seeing Caroline upset. The blonde was a harmless, loveable beauty who was kind-hearted and hilarious, how anyone could purposely or accidently upset her was beyond Dawn.

Rubbing her back, Dawn frowned when she felt Caroline cry into her cardigan. "Hey, it's okay… Whatever it is, it's okay." Dawn gently cooed, pressing a delicate kiss to Caroline's head.

Caroline sniffled, suddenly unwrapping her arms from Dawn. Eyeing her friend with concern, Dawn gently grabbed Caroline's hand and pressed it against her bump.

"Look, Care-bear. It hurts both of us to see you like this, so dry those tears up." Dawn smiled, Caroline sniffled, smiling as her fingers stroked the bump where her god-son laid.

For a moment, Dawn hesitated. "Look, I wasn't going to tell you till later, but I'm beginning to pick godparents for this little one. I don't know who else I'm going to pick, but…" Dawn trailed off, moving Caroline's fingers up the bump.

"If you want to, I want you to be his godmother."

Caroline's eyes widened before she let out a squeal and pulled Dawn into a tight hug. "Oh my god! Really! I love you so much, Dawnie! Now I don't have to pretend I'm his godmother." Dawn was surprised when the blonde fell to her knee's a kissed her bump.

Gently, Caroline ran her fingers across the revealed skin. "I'm gonna love you like you're my own, you hear that, little man." Caroline cooed, causing Dawn to smile.

 **…**

Clutching the gun in his hand, Logan paced, frustration written all over the newly turned vampire's face as Damon laid on the floor. The wooden bullets had wounded him and needed to be squeezed out. The wounds wouldn't heal in till he got the stupid wooden bullets out. Along with the pain that was occupying his thoughts, he also thought to Dawnie and to whoever turned Logan.

He was glad Dawn hadn't entered the warehouse. Logan would have either shot her or killed her. Maybe when Logan would have been distracted, he would have been able to wrench the gun from Logan and rip his heart out. The thought of ripping the ex-news reporters heart out made him severely happy.

Placing a hand on his aching head, Logan groaned. "Why am I so overly emotional? All I can think about is my ex-girlfriend. I wanna be with her and bite her and stuff."

Looking down at his wounds, Damon grimaced. "Well, you probably love her. Anything you felt before will be magnified now. You're gonna have to learn how to control that."

Moving both of his hands back to the gun, Logan kept his hand on the trigger, just in case Damon tried anything. "What about walking in the sun? I'm a morning person. You can walk in the sun, which, by the way, is pretty cool."

Without Logan noticing, Damon flexed his hand that contained his daylight ring and his it with his other hand. The last thing they needed was Logan taking his ring and walking in the daylight. "The council will never suspect you. That's not in the journals."

Damon arched a brow. "The journals?"

The newly turned vampire nodded absent-mindedly. "Yeah, the founding fathers, they passed down journals to their kids. Come on man, you gotta tell me. How can you walk around in the sun?"

"Who turned you?" Damon quipped.

"How do you walk in the sun?"

"Who turned you?"

Logan growled in frustration, his finger circling the trigger. "You know, I've been really nice so far, but I will kill you."

As he stormed over to Damon, the vampire winced. The wounds were killing him. "Then you'll never know." He paused, getting to his feet. Damon tried to prevent wincing as he strained the bullet wounds. Just because he was a vampire, it didn't mean he was invincible. Anyways, wooden bullets and stakes, sunlight and Taylor Swift's music was a vampire's greatest weakness. "You're not answering my question."

Shaking his head, Logan growled. Damon refused to answer. "You first!"

Damon cocked his head mockingly. "It seems we're at a bit of an impasse then, doesn't it?"

For a moment, Logan was silent, almost as if he was calculating his move. "I have things to do, people to kill. Guess I'll be needing a little head start." Damon furrowed his brows together but his confusion was answered. Logan pressed the trigger four times before exiting the warehouse and going into the night.

 **…**

A head of red entered the school classroom, interrupting Elena and Stefan's rather awkward conversation. The two turned to see who had entered, only to find a frantic Jenna. The beauty in her mid-twenties sandwiched herself between the two. "Hide me."

It took all of Elena's will power to not laugh at how uncomfortable Stefan looked. The redhead was practically clinging to him. Arching a brow at her aunt, Elena couldn't help but be concerned. She wasn't sure if Jenna was messing around or was actually serious. "What's going on?"

Looking between the two, Jenna lowered her voice. "The scum Fell has landed."

Elena's aunt couldn't mean Logan Fell, right? That wasn't possible. He had died. Stefan had seen him die. "Logan's here." She clarified to a confused Stefan.

"Wait, Logan Fell?"

Verdant orbs widened. Logan was dead. He had been killed by Damon… That wasn't possible, unless… Someone had turned him. It wasn't Stefan and it wasn't Damon, who would have gleefully owned up to it. Logan must have been the vampire who was uplifting havoc within Mystic Falls.

 **…**

Peering down at her mobile in concern, Dawn frowned. Damon had been gone for hours now and she was more than concerned. Turning to Caroline, who was looking at a dental nurse flyer, Dawn smiled.

"Care, look, I really need to go… It's sorta' an emergency." Dawn stumbled, glancing at the door anxiously as Caroline frowned in concern.

Placing the brochure back on the table, Caroline turned to Dawn, all while completely ignoring the woman behind the table who was trying and failing to convince Caroline to become a dental nurse. "Okay. Is everything okay? Can I help with something?" Caroline asked, her blue-green eyes filled with worry.

Shaking her head, Dawn sent her a soothing smile. "It'll be fine, Care. I just need to go and do something. Are you sure you're gonna be okay here?" Dawn asked in concern.

The cheerleader had just been upset, Dawn wasn't too sure if she wanted to leave her alone. Nodding, Caroline smiled. "I'll be fine, Dawnie. Are you sure everything is okay?" Caroline asked as Dawn smiled.

"It's fine, Care. Don't worry."

She snorted. "Don't worry? You're my best friend, Dawnie. How can I not worry about you?"

Smiling, Dawn placed her hands on Caroline's shoulders. "Because I told you not to." Taking her hands off her Care's shoulders, Dawn glanced at the school doors. "Right, I betta' start walking."

Caroline furrowed her brows together. "What? Walking, alone, at night? No way, here-" Caroline began digging in her purse till she found her car keys. "Drive them wherever you're going, just be careful, kay'."

The pregnant blonde didn't take the keys. She merely glanced down at them in Caroline's outstretched palm before re-meeting Caroline's eyes. "How are you and Liz gonna get home? I'll be fine walking."

Shaking her head, Care forced the keys into Dawn's hand. "One of mom's deputy's is here, so she'll hitch a lift there. I'll catch a lift with Bonnie." Caroline replied. She had no idea if Bonnie was there, but she'd text her anyways.

After a moment of hesitation, Dawn accepted the car keys. "Thanks, Care."

She sent her a pearly smile. "What are best friends for?"

 **…**

Logan smiled at Stefan, almost tauntingly as Elena quickly pulled Jenna away from Logan. The ex-news anchors eyes followed the two before he turned to face Stefan. The much older vampire's chest was puffed out, his eyes were narrowed and he looked ready to attack. But Logan knew he wouldn't, not in the school full of parents, students and teachers.

"What are you doing here?"

Snorting at the ironicness, Logan shook his head. "You know, your brother asked me the same thing. In fact, why don't we just skip past all that 'who turned me stuff' and get the answer that I want? How can I turn into a day walker?"

Refusing to answer, Stefan narrowed his eyes. There was no way Logan would be given a daylight ring. He had killed too many people, attracted too much attention and was dangerous. "Damon and I are the only two that I know of."

"But you're both very cagey on the how, which tells me that there is a way. You know, in case you hadn't noticed, I'm quite the celebrity in this town. It would be very, very easy for me to expose you."

Eyeing him, Stefan took a step forward. "You wanna know how you can walk around in the sun?"

Nodding eagerly, the news reported grinned like a child on Christmas. "I do."

The older vampire took another step forward and lowered his lips to Logan's ear. "You can't. Don't ever threaten me again."

With that, Stefan walked past Logan, all while feeling like a complete badass. Tay-Tay would be proud.

 **…**

"Oh my god…" Diving out Caroline's car, without even turning the stereo off, Dawn ran at her fastest speed towards Damon, who was limping out the Warehouse. His white shirt was coated in blood and he was struggling to stand.

Immediately, Dawn wrapped his arm around her shoulder and helped him to the car. Although she knew he wouldn't die, Dawn couldn't help but feel terrified. It hurt her to see Damon in so much pain. He could barely stand…

"Dawnie…" Damon croaked out, wincing at the movement as Dawn helped him into Caroline's newly cleaned car. The blonde didn't even care if he got blood on the seats, she just wanted him to be okay.

Clipping his seatbelt into place, Dawn met his eyes. "What do I do? Do you need to go to the hospital?" Dawn asked, her eyes frantic as Damon chuckled. He stopped laughing, wincing from pain. A bullet was nudging his heart.

"No. Just take me back to the boarding house. I need to get these bullets out."

 **…**

Helping Damon onto the sofa, Dawn made sure to fluff a pillow behind him before turning back to him. She had never removed a bullet and she was terrified. Yes, mother nature was terrified. She didn't really like the sight of blood. It made her cringe to be honest.

"Are you comfy? I can get a blanket if you want, or a hot-water bottle?" Dawn babbled frantically, her head spinning as Damon winced, leaning back.

Shaking his head, Damon reached out and grabbed Dawn's wrist. His fingers gripped her wrist as he gently tugged her closer. "I need you to pull the bullets out."

Dawn paled. "What?"

"Please."

She glanced at him before sighing. "O-Okay. But blood makes me queasy." Damon just snorted as she sat opposite him. Slowly, in a way Magic Mike would, he stripped off his shirt. However, unlike Magic Mike, Damon's torso had at least seven, heavily bleeding bullet wounds.

And yet still, the blonde flushed at the sight of Damon's naked upper body. He looked as if he had just walked off a 'Vogue' magazine cover. Damon had no time to gloat as Dawn leaned over. "W-What… How do I do this?" She panicked

Laying a hand over hers, Damon smiled weakly. "Just squeeze and the bullet should come out." Dawn grimaced but nodded anyways.

As Damon's hand moved back to his side, the pregnant blonde quietly repeated his instructions under her breath. " _Squeeze and the bullet should come out. Squeeze and the bullet should come out. Squeeze and the bullet should come out. Squeeze and the bullet should come_ _out_."

With a deep breath, she wrapped her fingers around a single wound by Damon's shoulder and squeezed. Concentrating, the blonde soon let out a squeal and bolted away from Damon as the bullet popped out. Damon chuckled. "First of seven."

After six more squeezes, eight more screams and over a hundred cringe attacks, Dawn had finally gotten all the bullets out Damon. However, before his vampire healing kicked in, Dawn placed her hands on his chest.

Damon watched as before his eyes, a glow outlined the blonde. Her hair began blowing, almost as if there was wind while his wound began healing up. Damon's eyes widened in surprise when his full strength returned, not only this, he felt stronger than he ever had before… He hadn't even needed to feed to get his strength back…

Before he could thank the pregnant blonde, she scuttled to the kitchen to grab a rag. And when she came back, Damon was talking to Stefan on the phone. The blonde flushed as she began wiping the blood from Damon's chest. Damon couldn't help but admire her as she did so. Dawnie made quite the cute nurse, all she needed was a skimpy costume.

 **…**

With her mother following in toll, Caroline lead the Sheriff to the booth that had really appealed to her. Broadcast journalism. It was the sort of career Caroline would enjoy. She'd get to be on TV, look pretty and report important information. Dawn, who had left earlier, would have approved.

Heading towards the booth, Caroline restrained rolling her eyes as her mother spoke up. "What are you doing?"

"Following my future." Caroline paused and turned to the broadcast journalism booth. Pointing at the banner, she nodded at her mother. "There it is."

Surprised, the mother of one raised her brows. "Broadcast journalism?"

Offended by her mother's surprise, Caroline frowned. "Yes. Broadcast journalism." Caroline paused when she noticed the skeptical look her mother was sending her. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You don't even read the paper." Liz pointed out truthfully.

Scoffing, Caroline walked away without a word, angry. At least Dawn would support her. As Liz went to follow her daughter, she was cut off by a voice which caused shivers to run down her spine. "Liz."

She whirled to face Logan, her eyes wide. She had seen Logan's dead body with her own eyes, he had been secretly buried. "Logan."

Liz began pulling the gun out of her belt. It was full of wooden bullets. Noticing this, Logan snorted. "What are you gonna do stake me? Bury me in another shallow grave? What would the email say this time?"

Almost guiltily, Liz shoved the gun back in her belt, averting her eyes from Logan and towards the floor. "I didn't have a choice."

Taking a threatening step towards her, he laughed bitterly. "You bitch! I died for you, for this town. You've known me since I was six and you swept me under the rug like dirt."

"You knew what you were getting into." Liz responded, replaying her warnings to him in her head.

Shaking his head, he curled his lips into a vicious scowl. "I was one of you."

"And now you're one of them."

As he began to walk past Liz, he paused and turned back to face her. Lowering his lips to his ear, he enjoyed the way her heart sped up. "Watch your back, Sheriff."

He sent her a smile before leaving. As he walked out the door, Liz hurriedly pulled her phone out her pocket and dialed the station. "Get a backup team to the school immediately. Keep it within the circle. It's a V5."

With that, she hung up before glancing at the doors which Logan left out of.

 **…**

Sighing, Caroline pressed the phone to her ear, rolling her eyes when Bonnie's phone went to voicemail. Caroline had texted the girl about a lift and Bonnie had agreed, but Caroline currently waiting for the no-show witch. When Bonnie's voice message was finished, Caroline spoke into the phone. "Bonnie, where are you? I'm ready to go. I'll be outside."

With that, Caroline hung up and shoved her phone into her pocket. Just as she did so, Logan fell pulled up beside Caroline in his silver, rather nice SUV.

Winding the window down, he sent her a charming smile. "Hey, damsel in distress, need a ride?"

Meeting his eyes, a playful smile was on her lips. "Oh my God. Logan Fell, channel 9, is that you?" She let out a fake gasp, causing Logan to snort.

"I used to babysit you, Caroline Forbes. Don't mock me." He teased.

Despite his friendly exterior, something in his eyes was predatory. "Well, I was supposed to go home with Bonnie, but I can't find her." Caroline admitted, shuffling nervously as she thought to Dawn. What would Dawn do? Dawn would never get in the car with a stranger. But then again, he wasn't a stranger. He babysat her when she was younger, he also was friends with her mom.

"It's not a problem, really. It's on my way." He urged.

After a moment of hesitation, she finally nodded. "Okay."

The passenger door opened, allowing Caroline to clumsily climb into the high up SUV. As she sat in the car, Caroline failed to notice Matt stood by the school entrance. He frowned, noticing Caroline getting into the car with the older man. Disappointed, Matt jumped to a ridiculous conclusion and headed back inside.

Turning to Logan, Caroline smiled. This would be the perfect opportunity to ask him questions about broadcast journalism. After all, he was channel nine's main news reported. "You know, this is fate."

He raised a curious brow. "And why is that?"

"Because I'm interested in broadcast journalism. So can I ask you a couple questions?"

Nodding, Logan glanced at the school before back at Caroline. No one was around the entrance, no witnesses and Sheriff Forbes' daughter, perfect. "Anything you want. But first, buckle up."

The pretty blonde's eyes lit up as she nodded. "Ok."

As she reached around to buckle her seatbelt, Logan grabbed the back of her head and slammed it against the window. A smear of blood was printed onto the glass as an unconscious Caroline slumped over.

 **…**

[Stefan and Elena are walking down the hallway. Matt walks in the opposite direction.]

Stefan and Elena walked down the hallway, their footsteps frantic as they looked out for Logan Fell. He was dangerous and needed to be stopped. As they walked down the hallway, they noticed Matt walking towards them. Nodding at them, he smiled sadly. "Hey."

Stopping her ex-boyfriend, Elena placed her hands on his shoulders. "Hey, have you seen Logan Fell, the news guy?"

Confused by the concern in Elena's eyes, Matt raised a brow. "Yeah. He just gave Caroline a ride home."

 **…**

Placing her hands on Damon's covered chest, Dawn allowed tears to stream down her cheeks. Caroline was with a violent, Logan Fell, who was mad at the Sheriff for covering his murder up. Shaking her head, Dawn couldn't keep it together. She couldn't lose Caroline. She'd do anything for the blonde and she wasn't going to sit back when Caroline was in danger.

Looking down at her hand, Damon stiffened before meeting her teary eyes. "Please. She's my best friend... Without her… I can't… Please, I'm not sitting back when she's in danger." Dawn heaved, her breathing erratic.

Hesitantly, Damon reached up to cup Dawn's face. With his spare hand, he wiped away her tears and brushed stray hairs out of her face. "Dawnie… You could get hurt…"

Shaking her head, Dawn let out another painful sob. "Please, Damon. Please."

Sighing, he nodded. "Okay, but I need you to be careful. I know your mother nature and powerful and stuff, but… You're not indestructible, if you got hurt…" Damon swallowed. "I wouldn't be able to forgive myself because… I like you, Dawnie. I consider you a friend, and I don't have many friends. Or any others for that matter."

Nodding, Dawn leaned up and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "I will be careful, but only if you be careful. You're my friend too."

 **…**

As Logan stopped his car at an intersection, he glanced at Caroline who was still passed out. Liz was still on the phone, witling. However, before he could drive any further, the car door was wrenched open and he was pulled out the car by an invisible force… The wind?

Behind him, a pregnant blonde, Caroline's friend stood, glowing. Before Logan could even react, Damon appeared in front of Dawn and threw him to the pavement.

As he got up, Damon pulled out a gun from his pocket. While making sure Dawn was securely tucked behind him, Damon began shooting Logan with wooden bullets. Logan didn't even notice Stefan, who had appeared by the car.

"Payback's a bitch, isn't it?" Damon mocked as Logan yelled in pain. Without looking away from Logan's squirming figure, Damon spoke up. "Dawnie, help Stef get her out of here."

The blonde didn't hesitate to waddle to the passenger side. Gasping at her wounds, Dawn placed her hand on Caroline's bleeding head as the blonde laid in Stefan's arms. Dawn began to glow again, as she watched Caroline's wounds fix up. Sighing in relief, Dawn leaned down and pressed a kiss to Caroline's head, tears streaming down her cheeks. "It's okay, Care-bear. You're okay now…"

" _Logan, what happened?! Logan?_ "

As Dawn stroked Caroline's hair, Damon jogged over to the car and picked up Logan's mobile. He pressed it to his ear as the Sheriff's frantic voice came through the phone. "Sheriff, yeah, it's Damon."

" _Where is Caroline?_ "

Pulling the phone away from his ear, he motioned for Stefan to take Caroline and Dawn home. However, before he could vamp-speed out the area, the blonde rushed to Damon and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Thank you." She whispered before going back to Stefan, who vamp-sped them out the area.

Damon was in a trance for a moment as he replayed Dawn's soft lips pressing against his cheek. However, Liz's frantic voice cut him out of his thoughts. Pulling the phone back to his ear, he glanced back at Logan. "Sheriff, yeah. She's ok. I'm on Elm Street."

With that, he hung up the phone and stepped around Logan. Opening the trunk, Damon smirked when he noticed the tire iron in the trunk.

"Gonna try this one more time." He playfully swung the tire iron. "Who turned you?"

Gulping, Logan's frantic eyes met Damon's. "I told you I don't know."

Examining the tire iron, Damon smirked. "This tire iron here could take your head clean off." He held the tire iron in a swinging position. "Is that your final answer?"

Frowning, Logan looked up at Damon. "How can you side with them?"

Damon just snorted. "I don't side with anyone. You pissed me off. I want you dead. Who turned you?"

"I don't know!"

Tutting, Damon gripped the tire iron tightly. "Oh, well. You're screwed."

As he went to swing the tire iron at Logan's head, Logan quickly protested. "Wait, wait! I do know."

Damon narrowed his eyes. "You're lying."

The young vampire shook his head. "You think you're the only one who wants to get in that tomb underneath the old church?"

His grip loosened on the tire iron as he narrowed his eyes. "If you're lying to me, I will end you."

"I am not lying. There is another way to break the spell. We can help you. Meet me at the old church." Logan decided not to mention that pretty little, powerful Dawnie was involved.

Before Damon could reply, the sound of sirens echoed in the distance. Looking at Logan, Damon debated with himself. Logan had hurt him, he hurt Dawnie by hurting Caroline but… Katherine. If there was another way of getting into the church, he had to know. The Sheriff's car approached at a fast speed.

"Take me down. Make it look real. Make it look real!"

Logan was clearly surprised as he raised his brows. But he didn't take any time to throw Damon against his car and vamp-speed off. Just as he did, Liz got out of her car, her eyes darting for her blonde daughter. "Where is she?"

"She's ok. My brother's taken her home. I'm sorry, Sheriff. I just wasn't strong enough."

 **…**

Pulling the covers over Caroline's sleeping figure, Dawn sighed. If she had lost Caroline that night… Even the thought made her sick to the stomach. Leaning down, Dawn pressed a kiss to Caroline's forehead and moved some blonde hairs from her face. "It's okay, Care. I won't let _anything_ happen to you. I promise you that."

With that, Dawn pulled away and shuffled out the room, making sure to the turn Caroline's light off. As she got downstairs, her brows furrowed when she noticed she had gotten a message from Bonnie.

 _Bonnie: Can u plz meet me the grill ASAP. Xxx_

Glancing up to the stairs where Caroline was, Dawn hesitated. It sounded important, but should she really leave Caroline on her own? She wouldn't be long and the grill wasn't too far from her house, meaning she could walk.

 _'_ _Is everything ok? I'll be there ASAP. Xxx'_

 **…**

Exiting the warehouse, Logan walked to his car, not noticing the footsteps behind him as he got ready to meet Damon. A loud clang behind him caused Logan to spin around. Nothing. Rolling his eyes at his jumpiness, Logan turned around, only to meet Alaric, who is blocking his way.

Taking a step back, Logan narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"

Absent-mindedly touching the stake hid in his pocket, Ric glared at the vampire. "A friend of Jenna's."

Clearly Logan was surprised as he arched a brow. Did Jenna want him back? "Jenna sent you?"

Ric shook his head. "No, I came on my own."

The ex-news reporter snorted at this. He was human, a stupid, reckless human. Looked like he had dinner sorted. "Ah, I get it. Well, buddy, I know you think this makes you brave. But actually it makes you pretty stupid."

The history teacher could practically smirk at the vampire's confidence. "Either way, here I am."

Narrowing his eyes, Logan sized Alaric up. "What do you want?"

"Jenna is a good person. She deserves the best. I'm here to make sure she gets it." Alaric retorted.

Shaking his head, Logan didn't hide the superior feeling he had over the human. "Was that supposed to be a threat? Couldn't you throw a punch? Maybe provoke me a little?"

Ric shrugged. "I'm not a violent guy by design."

"Well, you're not a very smart one, either."

"How's that?"

Turning away from Ric, Logan smirked. Slowly, Alaric pulled the hidden stake from inside the sleeve of his jacket. "Cause' you have no idea who you're talking to."

Spinning to face Ric, Logan showed his fangs and hissed, however, he was met with an automatic stake to the heart. Logan slumped over, shocked as he fell to the ground, dead as veins spread across his face. Looking down at the vampire, Ric took a breath, shocked at what he was capable of. Of course he had been hunting for vampires ever since Isobel was turned, but this was his first kill.

Without glancing back at the body, Alaric turned and quickly fled the scene.

 **…**

Sighing in bliss, Elena buried her head into Stefan's chest as he held her tightly, refusing to let her go. Enjoying the way his shirt fell just below her bum, Stefan stroked the tanned skin of her thighs, causing her to giggle. Looking up at him through tired eyes, she flushed. He simply sent her a Damon-like smirk.

Leaning back against his chest, Elena's gaze travelled around his bedroom. "I've never been in your room before." She admitted, her eyes scanning the room.

The room was very elegant and what Elena had expected Stefan's room to be like. He had a king sized, black bed, which Elena had discovered was the most comfortable thing ever! He had a large, old fashioned chest at the bottom of the bed, a wooden table surrounded by three chairs, a body-length size mirror near his bed and a shelf of ornaments. The timber table was covered in old books, candles and scrolls. The room was vintage yet modern at the same time; it was hard to describe.

Stefan followed her gaze. "Hm, well, it hasn't changed much over the years."

Shuffling so she could look up at him, she raised a brow. "Do you leave everything here when you come and go?"

He shrugged in response. "It's the only place that... That has remained constant. This room holds every memory that I've ever thought was important enough to hold on to."

Smiling, Elena cuddled Stefan as he pressed a gentle kiss to her head. "A lot of memories."

Looking up at him, Elena couldn't contain the toothy grin as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Yep. Are you thirsty or anything?"

"A little. You? Uh..." She was cut off by Stefan's laughter.

Shaking his head, he smiled. "I'm fine. Let me get you something to drink, ok?"

"Ok."

After a brief kiss, Stefan went to get Elena a drink. The doppelgänger snuggled into the pillow, smiling brightly. However, she soon got tired of waiting for Stefan and decided to have a sneaky snoop around the room. As she explored the room, her eyes caught the picture that was on the table.

' _Katherine- 1864'_

Turning the picture over curiousily, her eyes widened. Katherine looked like… Her. And not just similar, they looked identical, as if they were twins. Dropping the picture, Elena covered her mouth, her eyes watering.

Pulling on her shirt and jeans, Elena quickly left, crying as her mind spun. How could herself and Katherine look so alike? How was that possible?

 **…**

Walking around the old church impatiently, Damon paced as he looked out for Logan. If he didn't show… Before he could think about how he would have killed the ex-news reporter, his phone rang. Instantly, he pulled it to his ear, not looking about the caller ID. It could have been Logan.

"Hello."

" _I just wanted to say thank you. I don't know how you did it_." Liz's voice flooded through the phone.

Damon's brows furrowed in confusion. "Um, not following."

" _We found Logan's body up by the old Fell warehouse. He has been disposed of. He was hoarding victims, innocent victims_." Liz informed him, causing Damon's jaw to clench. What?

For a moment, he was silent. "What?"

" _This town owes you so much. So do I_." Liz quickly hung up the phone as Damon stared at it, completely and utterly shocked.

 **…**

Wiping her eyes, Elena couldn't hold her tears in as she sobbed heavily. The road was deserted, as after all, it was late. Elena raised a brow when she noticed a figure, a rather slow figure, in the distance. They were walking down the road with no lights. The only reason Elena could see was because of her headlights.

As she got closer, Elena immediately recognized the blonde and hit the brakes. Poking her head out the window, Elena frowned worriedly. "Dawn?"

The blonde jumped and span to face Elena. Her facial feature's softened when she noticed the tear stains running down Elena's cheeks. "Elena? Are you okay?"

Elena shook her head. "Why are you walking in the dark, alone, late at night? You could have gotten hurt." Elena frowned, the thought causing her stomach to knot. Before Dawn could protest, Elena motioned for her to get in the car.

"C'mon, I can't let you walk in the dark."

 **…**

"Oh my god… Elena, I am so sorry." Dawn apologized, her eyes softening as Elena moved one hand from the wheel to wipe her tears.

The doppelgänger had just told her about the picture she had found. Stefan's ex, Katherine, looked identical to Elena. It wasn't a small resemblance; they could have passed as twins according to Elena. If it had been anyone else, Dawn would have thought they were exaggerating. But due to Elena's nature and how upset she was, Dawn knew Katherine must have looked exactly like Elena.

Sniffling, Elena re-wiped her eyes. "Why didn't he tell me? Was he just using me?" She sobbed, causing Dawn to glance at her in concern.

Dawn wasn't sure Elena was okay to drive. The brunette was very upset. "I'm sure if you let him explain, Lena, you'll know why he didn't tell you. I know it's hard, but you need answers. And I'm sure he wasn't using you, you're a beautiful, kind girl and Stefan practically worships the ground you walk on." Dawn responded before pulling out her mobile. She sent Bonnie a text saying something urgent came up and she had to reschedule, which the witch responded with an ' _Okay, no problem. Hope everything is '_.

"Look, maybe you should pull over and I should drive-Elena, watch out!"

A figure stood in the road, causing Elena to slam her brakes. The two screamed as the person hit the windshield, the car flipped as Dawn's hands protected her

stomach. The last thing Dawn heard was Elena screaming her name, before everything went black.

* * *

 **Hey guys! I've been a tad busy all week as I go to college for one day and am in the saloon for the rest (I'm an apprentice hairdresser), but I am stilling writing so don't worry!** **The beautiful cover is made by the amazing** **DarellyLucero, I recommend checking out her stories!** **Anyways, I think a lot of you guys got a tad confused with Damon and Dawn in the last scene. Anyways, Damon was being Damon, he was purposely pushing her away and flirting. Hope that cleared things up for you guys. Sorry for any mistakes, I hate editing.**

 **In response to:**

 **Jk522:** I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for reviewing.

 **Guest (Aug 29):** Nothing has been confirmed about Dawn, only hinted at. But remember, as another reviewer suggested, I could be pulling a red herring! Interesting theory though. Thanks for reviewing.

 **LOL:** Damon wouldn't have slept with Dawn anyways. But even if he did, there would be nothing wrong with it. It is natural to have sex during pregnancies due to the increasing hormones and it is one of the most used methods to encourage labor when the woman is overdue. Anyway, thanks for reviewing.

 **GhostlySights:** Dawnie was taking no shit! Damon was just being Damon; he was being flirtatious towards Dawn as he knew this would frighten her. Thanks for reviewing!

 **BrittStar1199:** Thank you, it means a lot! Anyways, Damon is being Damon. He's doing everything he can to push away the only person who trusts him and comforts him. As I said in the response to 'LOL', it is normal to have sex during pregnancies due to the increasing hormones and it is one of the most used methods to encourage labor when the woman is overdue. Damon was saying this to push her away, knowing it would frighten her. Plus, nothing has been confirmed about how Dawnie got pregnant, remember that;). Thanks for the review!

 **SomebodyWhoCares:** Soon, but not yet;). Thanks for reviewing.

 **PirateWizardTheif:** Thank you! Let's just say the tomb vampires are going to be a threat towards Dawn and her baby, but the deceased and alive witches will not have that!

 **Galwidantitud:** Thanks for reviewing!

 **KEZZ 1:** Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. Thanks for the review.

 **Gabriellaartega1:**

1) The character has not been introduced yet, she will be soon though. But she will be related to Dawn in a way.

2) The baby won't be gone for a while. The baby will leave Mystic Falls before the 60's dance.

3) He won't be given to the person right away. Dawn is going to have some serious issues to sort out beforehand. And before all of this, Dawn wouldn't trust anyone's life with the person. Even when Dawn gives her son to the mystery person, she will still be worried and be fretting about trusting her son with the person. But Dawn will not have a choice.

4) Nope.

5) At the end of season two Klaus comes into town. The immortal, a-thousand-year-old vampire who needs Elena in the ritual. Dawn, being mother nature, will be the only one able to stop Klaus. And doing this, puts her son in great danger. Season two will be the only season the baby will be gone.

6) Dawn will have immediate contact with the person and her son, but she will have to focus on beating Klaus. She will have a little contact with her son, but she will be fighting the temptation and instincts to call the person and check on her son. The person will not run away or try and hide the baby too.

 **Name suggestion:** I love the name, but I work in a hairdressers and my boss has two eleven week old pugs called Hugo and Tobias, so I'd be thinking of them all the time, lol.

 **Guest:** I'm glad you're enjoying it! Thanks for the review.

 **Guest** : Thanks for reviewing!

 **Alena ares** : Dawn would never fully trust Damon due to unrevealed traumas. Vampires can get drunk; they sober up pretty quickly though. Thanks for the review! And no worries:). If you need any help, message me.

 **Sainlyinsain** : Wouldn't it be son Nature? Haha. And feel free to review your theory! Thanks for the review.

 **Kim** : I'm glad you enjoyed it. Witches have the closest relationship with mother nature, excluding her son. The witches will protect her son. He will and I can't wait to write season 3 as I love Klaus, Bekah, Kol and Elijah! Lovely names! Ellis-Salvatore, hmmm. Thanks for reviewing.

 **Shining Ruby** : Aw, that's so sweet. I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far! I really loved Caleb. Thanks for the lovely review.

 **Adela:** Dawn has a lot holding her back and needs to get help before she is able to be in relationship with Damon. Thanks for reviewing.

 **Anna.B:** Thanks! Caroline will always have Dawn's back, and in return, Dawn will always have Caroline's. This means there won't be a strain of friendship when Caroline is turned into a vampire in season two. There will be a very angry, pregnant Dawn on Damon's case when he tries to kill Caroline though! Dawn's emotional breakdown at the party caused millions to die, something that will and still is affecting her deeply. Unknowingly, Dawn 'healed' the earth and the damage she had caused, the injured have recovered but Dawn hasn't resurrected anyone. As even though they are dead because of her spiralling emotions, she has to try and avoid affecting the balance of life and death, something she will discover will have great consequences. I'm glad you enjoyed the interaction with Emily, it was kind of hard to write as I knew Emily would want to protect and serve Dawn, but Dawn would want to help Damon be happy, despite the consequences (unless people would die). The only witches who won't respect Dawn will be Greta (the witch who breaks the hybrid curse) and Kai. The travellers will not have a good relationship with Dawn as they are almost like the un-favorite, half-sibling to witches. The baby will only be sent away during the sacrifice and perhaps when Esther links all the originals together. But it will only be temporary. When the baby comes back it will be as safe as Mystic Falls can be, lol. Thanks for the lovely review.

* * *

 **Please review for more.**


	16. s i x t e e n

**1X11 Bloodlines**

 **Dawn Ellis played by Dianna Agron**

Letting out a low moan, Elena tried her best to ignore the pestilent pounding in her head. Craning her neck to look at Dawn, Elena whimpered quietly. Fortunately, the blonde was still beside her. However, her head was slumped forward, a hand was on her stomach and she was clearly unconscious. Large doe orbs watered as she stretched so her fingertips were brushing against Dawn's. Ignoring the pain her back as she stretched, Elena's voice was raspy as she called out to Dawn. "D-Dawnie… Dawn!"

The doppelgänger's car had toppled over, meaning the two were upside down, the only thing holding them up was their seatbelts. Doe orbs darted from Dawn before back to her stomach. "Dawn, please wake up. Please." Elena desperately called out.

When the blonde didn't respond, the doppelgänger let out another agonizing weep. "Dawnie… If you can hear me, it's going to be okay. Someone's gonna' help us, okay. So you and the baby hang in there." Elena pleaded.

Almost as if she remembered the reason they crashed, Elena looked up. The figure in the road… It was still there. Elena watched in horror as the person stood back up, popping his broken bones into place. When all of the males bones were popped back into their places, it began walking towards them, unharmed. It was a vampire. Adrenalin rushed through Elena's body as she frantically tried to undo, not only her own seatbelt but Dawn's as well. Her hands were trembling violently as she let another sob. Both seatbelts were jammed.

For some reason, the figure paused. He stopped walking as his shoulders tensed underneath his black hoodie. Almost as if something or someone had frightened him away, the unknown vampire disappeared. Furrowing her brows together, Elena looked around, expecting the vampire to jump out. When he didn't, she cocked a brow. Why had he just disappeared.

A lean, leather jacket clad figure revealed why. Damon. He had gone as he knew Damon was there... Never in Elena's life would she have thought she would think this, but thank God for Damon! The older brother's electric blue eyes instantly landed on the tipped over car. His thick brows furrowed but then raised in surprise when he realized who the wrecked car belonged to. It as Elena's car.

As he reached the side of the car, he crouched down. A familiar head of blonde was sat beside a sobbing Elena, a hand on her rounded abdomen while her head was lolled forward. Dawnie… She was with Elena. In the crashed car. Much to his relief, three relatively strong heartbeats echoed from the car. The baby, so far, was okay. He sighed in relief. "Dawnie…" He mumbled, his eyes on the blonde.

Elena jumped at the sound of his voice. Craning her neck in his direction, she winced at the pain but met Damon's eyes anyways. "Damon? Dawn… She's unconscious, she isn't even responding. The baby…" Elena sobbed, her words barely audible as her bloodshot eyes switched between Dawn and Damon.

Moving over to Dawn's side, Damon met Elena's eyes. "Hey, Dawnie and the baby's heartbeats are fine. You hang in there for a moment, kay'?" Elena nodded, watching in relief as Damon gently scooped Dawn out the wreck. Bruises tarnished her beautiful pale skin.

Holding her to his chest, Damon opened the car door and laid her in the front seat. He'd check for broken bones later, but for now, he needed to get Elena out the wreck. After quickly grabbing a blanket from his trunk and draping it across Dawn's unconscious body, Damon headed back to the wreck and helped Elena out.

 **…**

 _"Dawn?"_

 _Spinning around, Dawn turned to face Selene. She was back in the meadows. At first, Dawn hadn't understood where the meadows were. She had originally thought it was a place in the back of her head, but according to Selene, it was beyond the universe. It was a weird thought…_

 _"Elena? The crash… Oh my god, the person we hit. Are they okay? The baby, is he okay? Elena, what about Elena?" Dawn panicked, pacing as her hands caressed her stomach._

 _Her legs turned to jelly as she tried to hold herself up. The spinning sensation in her mind was making her lightheaded. Interrupting the pacing girl, Selene smiled. "Calm down, mother." Selene cooed gently._

 _As the woman took Dawn's hands in her own, the blonde flinched at the unfamiliar contact. No matter how many times Selene would call her 'mother', she'd never get used to it. To be honest, it freaked her out a little. A witch who was way older than her father, and had been dead for centuries, calling her mother was something she was still getting used to._

 _"The little one is fine, so is your friend. And the person you hit-" Selene's features turned into disgust. "A vampire, an abomination born from a foolish witch who defied you. Dawn raised a brow at this but made no comment. Clearly Selene wasn't the biggest fan of vampires._

 _Before she could respond, Selene continued. "You've been rescued by your-" She hesitated. "-Friend. The vampire."_

 _Dawn raised a brow at this. Her vampire friend? What? Realization kicked in as she sighed in relief. "Damon." A small smile crossed her lips at the thought of the raven-haired vampire came to mind._

 _The dead witch couldn't help but arch a questioning eyebrow at Dawn, but made no comment. Noticing the look she was receiving from Selene, Dawn furrowed her brows. "What?"_

 _She shook her head. "Nothing, mother."_

 _Before Dawn could question her, a thought came to mind. She usually came to the field when she wished to or when she was needed. So why was she here? Dawn's wide hazel eyes met Selene's. "How did I get here? Am I dead? You said the baby was okay and Elena was… But me? Oh my god." Dawn babbled nervously._

 _She was cut off by Selene's soothing hushing. "No mother, not at all. You've just come here while you heal yourself?"_

 _Dawn's brows raised in surprise. "What?"_

 _"Your powers, they increase with every passing minute. Soon, you'll be able to create galaxies, dimensional worlds, new planets, new species, hell, you could even create a new sun and turn the sky pink." Selene told her as Dawn's brows raised in surprise. All of the whole 'mother nature' thing was also still something she was trying to take in._

 _Sometimes Dawn thought she would wake up and find it had all been a dream. That she had never made friends with Bonnie and Elena, that she had never met Stefan or Damon, that she wasn't pregnant and hadn't been kicked out and most of all, that he had never done those awful things to her. She suspected to wake up in her bed, only to find her father looming down on her. He'd tell her she had a bad dream before combing his fingers through her hair. He'd then lean down and press a kiss to her forehead and tell her that her bad dreams wouldn't be able to hurt her as God was protecting her._

 _"You healed your friend, the Bennett witch, right?"_

 _Dawn nodded. "See, you're evolving without realization, Dawn. You healed one of your servants-" Dawn raised a brow at the rather rude label. "-And now you're healing yourself."_

 **…**

Leaning against the Grill pool table, Matt Donovan sighed, watching as his best friend knocked the black ball into the end pocket. A cocky grin spread across Tyler's features as he placed the pool cue on the table and turned to Matt. "How many have you lost now, Donovan? Huh?"

Scoffing, Matt scowled. Pool wasn't his best sport. He was good at basketball and football, not pool. Shaking his head, Matt began replacing the balls on the table.

"Best of three?"

Tyler snorted. "Your funeral."

 **…**

As the 69' Chevy Camaro Convertible rolled down the back roads of Georgia, the soft sound of Damon's radio flooded through the car. In the back, an unconscious Elena was sprawled out, her head angled sideways and her arms wrapped around her body. Beside Damon, Dawn was laid back on the reclined passenger seat. She was tucked under a blanket with her arms out. One of her hands was planted firmly on her stomach while the other was by her side.

Along with the quiet music, Damon could hear the soft breaths coming from Dawn's parted lips. Dawnie was asleep, her eyes were clamped shut, her mouth was open and she was drooling from the corner of her mouth. She looked adorable.

The bruises that had previously tarnished her pale skin were now gone. They had magically healed in the car, which Damon put down to Dawn being mother nature. After all, she had healed the witch he had bitten, so it was possible for her to heal herself, right?

Damon was snapped out of his thoughts when Elena stirred. Glancing at the doppelgänger through the rearview mirror, Damon watched as her eyes fluttered open. For a moment, she was confused, disorientated even. However, realization seemed to kick in pretty quick as Elena jolted forward, sitting up.

"Morning." Damon chimed, the signature smirk across his lips.

Looking out the window, Elena's brows furrowed in confusion as she squinted. This didn't look like Mystic Falls… Mystic Falls didn't have many back roads.

She wasn't too sure where she was, but she was sure it wasn't Mystic Falls. Glancing back at Damon, she frowned. "Where are we?"

"Georgia."

The doppelgänger shook her head, frowning in denial. He wasn't funny. "Georgia? No, no. No, we're not. Seriously, Damon. Where are we?"

"Seriously, we're... We're in Georgia. How ya' feeling?"

For a moment, Elena seemed to forget about the blonde in the front seat. "I...I..."

"There's no broken bones. I checked. Dawnie has no broken bones either."

At the mention of the blonde, Elena's head snapped to the side. Elena covered her mouth in shock as she looked at Dawn. Dawn had been in the car crash… What if Dawn was hurt? What if her baby was hurt? The young girl had recently had a threatened miscarriage and now had gotten into a car crash.

Shaking her head, Elena jolted forward, her eyes scanning Dawn's seemingly fine figure. "Oh my…. We need to take her to a hospital now." When Damon didn't reply, Elena raised her voice. "Now!"

Damon rolled his eyes, glancing at Dawn briefly. "She's fine. Baby's fine. Both have strong heartbeats."

The doppelgänger still protested. "She needs to check everything is okay, Damon! Can you see inside her stomach, no? I didn't think so!" Elena snapped.

Lowering the volume of his radio, Damon glanced at Dawn before looking back to the road. She looked fine. "She's healed herself, Elena. If the baby was hurt, he would have been healed as well."

The brunette was silent for a moment. " But… What if she's not? She's just had a threatened miscarriage for God sake!"

With his temper thinning, Damon clenched his jaw. "She's fine, Elena. She healed herself just like she healed your witchy friend."

After a moment of silence, Elena nodded. But the scowl on her lips showed she was far from happy. "Oh my… My car… There was a man...I hit a man. But then he got up, and... Who was that?"

"That's what I would like to know."

Frowning, Elena sighed. Leaning back against the seat, she began to pat her pockets down for her mobile phone. She had put her phone in her front jean pocket and now it was gone. After searching her other pockets, the brunette scowled when she didn't find the silver flip phone. Then it hit her. Damon… He had taken her phone.

"Where is my phone? OK. We really need to go back. Nobody knows where I am. Pull over. I mean it, Damon. Pull over! Stop the car!" Elena snapped, causing Dawn to stir.

Casting Dawn a glance, Damon met Elena's doe orbs through the rearview mirror. "Oh, you were so much more fun when you were asleep." He then paused, placing a finger on his lips. "Sh. You're waking sleeping beauty."

Elena's gaze flickered to Dawn before frowning. Sighing, Damon pulled over. As Elena unbuckled her seatbelt and climbed out the car, Damon rolled his eyes and followed. Both the vampire and human slammed the doors hard enough to cause Dawn to jolt awake.

Rubbing her eyes, Dawn felt panic run over her. Although she knew herself and the baby were okay, she didn't know if Elena was okay. She didn't know if Caroline and Liz were looking for her… Squinting, Dawn winced as her vision cleared. She could see two figures outside the car arguing. One was a man wearing a leather jacket while the other was a girl with long, straight brown hair. Elena and Damon.

The two seemed to be so focused on their argument, that they didn't notice the blonde scrambling to get out the car. However, they did notice when she fell onto the floor before them.

Damon quickly turned to her. The Petrova doppelgänger watched in confusion as Damon rushed over to Dawn. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her up so she was leaning against him. "Hey, careful. You were in a car crash and you just woke up. Take it easy, Dawnie." He cooed, running his hand along the bottom of her back, causing her to tense slightly.

As he continued the affectionate gesture, she eventually leaned into him, enjoying the sweet, purely innocent touch. There was nothing sexual or frightening about it. "Dawnie. Are you okay? How is the baby? Does everything feel okay?" Elena rambled, rushing to her other side.

Nodding weakly, Dawn leaned against Damon for support. "I-I-I… I think so." She admitted, placing a hand on her bump. Elena suddenly scowled, turning to Damon.

"Why are you doing this? We can't be in Georgia. I wrecked my car. We have to go home. This is kidnapping. Dawn needs to go to the hospital!"

Dawn squinted in confusion, look up at Damon. "Georgia?"

She was ignored as Damon avoided her gaze and looked at Elena. "That's a little melodramatic, don't you think?"

"You're not funny. You can't do this. I'm not going to Georgia."

"Georgia?" Dawn asked once again, only to be ignored.

Damon rolled his eyes, stroking the bottom of Dawn's back with his fingers. "Well, you're IN Georgia. Without your magical little necklace, I might add. I can very easily make you... Agreeable." Damon snapped at Elena.

He failed to notice the way the blonde shivered and tried to move away from his touch.

 **…**

 _Flashback_

 _Laid in the hospital bed, the frail blonde ran a hand across her bump, her eyes consciously darting around as she muttered under her breath. Clutching the rosemary beads in her right hand, Joanna Ellis continued to murmur to herself. Beside the heavily pregnant woman, Gabriel sat, his eyes concerned._

 _Ever since she had become pregnant, her mental state had deteriorated. His wife would constantly murmur about the devil getting in her head. She often told him about the vivid dreams she had been having. She would regularly dream about a demon named Selene, who told her their daughter was destined for great things. Gabriel had told his wife many times that it was simply a dream, but she had never believed him._

 _She knew it was real. The demon; Selene, told her things about the baby in her womb. It told her that her daughter was destined for great things and that, Joanna was terrified of._

 _Her daughter was the devil's spawn. Joanna suspected her daughter would be the one to free Lucifer, the fallen angel. Joanna hoped Gabriel would be able to save their daughter._

 _"Joanna…" Gabriel's voice snapped her out of her train of thoughts. The woman in the hospital bed frowned. Looking at his wife, Gabriel frowned. She looked tired._

 _His previously beautiful wife now looked tired. The skin that had once been a creamy beige was now a sickly white, her features that once had a soft look to them, were now protruding, almost like she hadn't eaten in years. Joanna had lost a lot of weight during the past nine months, which was not good saying she was pregnant… Although he couldn't be exactly sure, Gabriel suspected she must have lost at least three stone. And Joanna hadn't been big before, so Gabriel had no idea where the weight had come from. And her eyes… The once glowing hazel orbs were now a dull brown. They were much darker than before. Beneath her dull orbs, were a pair of heavy black bags that showed off the little sleep she received. Her honey blonde hair that had previously been full of volume was now a limp, faded blonde._

 _The woman in front of him was no longer his wife. It was a shell of the woman he once loved._

 _Leaning forward, Joanna placed a bony hand on Gabriel's face. Her sharp, pointed and overgrown nails scratched his face slightly as she caressed his cheek. "Selene. The demon. She says things about the baby, Gabe. But I won't let her take her… I won't let them." Joanna shook her head, her voice low._

 _"I won't. Okay? Okay. We need some more charms, maybe we should read another bible verse. I know… We should christen her now… Right now, you go and get the supplies and I'll sit here. The rosemary will protect us. You go. Go now." Joanna moved her hands from Gabriel's face and pushed him gently._

 _When he didn't move, she frowned. "Go now. Please, we need to help her. We need to help God."_

 _She suddenly darted from the bed, backing away from Gabriel. "No… No… The demon… It's gotten to you… No…" She continued to back away from Gabriel in till she hit the wall._

 _"Joanna. It's me… It's okay." Gabriel cooed, holding his hands up as he took a step towards Joanna._

 _The blonde shook her head, her eyes wide as the heartbeat monitor she was connected to, sped up. "Get away! Get away from us-" She began to raise her voice. An alarm went off due to her dangerous heartbeat. "Get away! God's creature, water, I cast out the demon from you in the name of God, the Father almighty, in the name of Jesus Christ, his Son, our Lord, and in the power of the Holy Spirit."_

 _Nurses ran into the room, heading towards the woman who was pressed against the wall, clutching the rosemary in her hands._

 _End of flashback_

 **…**

"So we're in Georgia?"

"Yup."

"Georgia… As in Georgia-Georgia?"

Damon nodded, chuckling slightly. Pushing a stray strand of blonde out her face, Damon smirked. "Yes, Dawnie. Georgia-Georgia?"

For a moment, Dawn was quiet as she let it sink in. She was in Georgia…

Caroline needed her and didn't know where she was.. And knowing Caroline, Dawn knew the fellow blonde would put a missing person alert out if Dawn was gone for more than two hours.

Noticing the way Damon looked at Dawn, she raised a brow. His gaze was almost… Gentle. Deciding not to comment on it, she quickly cut in. "Look, no one knows where we are. Can we please just go back?"

She briefly thought back to the phone call she had with Stefan. Did she really want to go back? It would have been nice to forget for a day and just have fun, but Jenna would kill her If she found out she was in Georgia…

Shaking his head, Damon peered down at Elena. "We're almost there."

Tugging on the bottom of his leather jacket to get his attention, Dawn frowned. Her eyes soft and gentle. "Where is there?" She asked tenderly, her voice soft as Damon sent her a smirk.

"A little place right outside of Atlanta." He told Dawn before turning to Elena. "Oh, come on, Elena. You don't wanna' go back right now. Do you? What's the rush? Time-out. Trust me. Your problems are still going to be there when you get home. Look. Step away from your life for five minutes. Five minutes!"

Frowning, Dawn shook her head, pulling on his jacket again. "What about Caroline and Liz? They're gonna' think I'm missing…" Dawn babbled nervously.

Her fingers twitched anxiously as she leaned into Damon's side. "I got the sheriff off her vervain and compelled her. I did with your blonde friend too."

The doppelgänger hesitated. "Are we gonna' be safe with you?"

Damon's gaze travelled from Dawn to her bump. He nodded. "Yes."

She hesitated before continuing. "You promise not to do that mind control thing with either of us?"

"Yes."

"Can we trust you?" Dawn asked, her eyes meeting his.

He hesitated for a moment. Leaning down, he brushed his fingers along the hollows of her cheekbones. "Get in the car. Come on." Dawn frowned at this, but got back into the front seat nevertheless.

 **…**

With her arms crossed over her chest, Caroline Forbes let out a sigh as her thoughts wandered to Dawn. The pregnant blonde had gone on a trip for the day and for some reason she and her mother were completely fine with it. They didn't want to ask any questions. As she walked down the deserted road, she heard the faint sound of someone calling for her. However, when she turned around, she didn't see anyone. Deciding it was just her ears playing up, she continued walking.

As she went to check her phone, the sound of clumsy footsteps stopped her. Looking up, her lips curved into a smile when she noticed it was Abraham. His dirty blonde hair was ruffled and his cheeks were flushed.

"C-Caroline!"

Realizing it must have been Abraham calling her, she frowned guiltily. "Oh, hey. Were you calling me?"

Nodding, he shifted awkwardly. "Uh… Yeah."

Caroline smacked her forehead gently. "Geez, sorry. I'm death and blind." She joked, causing Abraham to flash her a toothy grin. Even if he was Dawn's step-brother, he was pretty cute. In a geeky way, anyways.

"Uh… It's fine. So, I was wondering if you wanted to get a drink or something… Maybe a coffee or we could go to the smooth shop near the grill, I heard that's pretty nice, if you like smoothies that is. But I'm guessing you like smoothies, as who doesn't like smoothies, right? You might not like smoothies…" Abraham's babbling what cut off by Caroline holding a hand up.

Sending him a shy smile, Caroline took in his flustered state. "Are you asking me out?"

He played with his fingers, avoiding her gaze as he nodded. "…Maybe?"

He wasn't her initial type like Matt, but then again, Matt was still avoiding her slightly. And it was clear he wasn't over Elena… Maybe this would catch Matt's attention. But then again, it was cruel to go out with him with the purpose of getting Matt's attention. Plus, he was Dawn's step-brother, which might be a little weird for her. Or a lot weird.

Ignoring every instinct that was screaming 'NO!', Caroline smiled and nodded. "I'd love to."

 **…**

They had been in Damon's car for ten minutes or so, and yet Dawn was already feeling carsick. She had a feeling this was drawn in with her morning sickness, which still wasn't decreasing! Casting Dawn a concerned glance, Damon noticed the green tinge that clung to her skin.

With his eyes flickering between Dawn and the road, Damon frowned. "You okay, Dawnie?"

The blonde grimaced but nodded. "Y-Yeah… Just a little car sick."

As Elena sent her a concerned glance, Damon rolled Dawn's window down, allowing fresh air to come into the car. The blonde sighed and practically shoved her head out the window, much like a dog would.

Clearing her throat, Elena turned to Damon. "So, where's my car?"

Damon shrugged, the corner of his lips twitching in amusement when he noticed Dawn's head was fully shoved out the window. "I pulled it off to the side of the road. I don't think anyone will bother it."

"What about that man in the road? Was he a...?" Elena trailed off.

Tensing at the conversation, Dawn turned back in her seat. "From what I could tell, yeah..." Damon trailed off as Dawn quickly cut in.

Recalling what Selene had told her before demonstrating her dislike for vampires, Dawn cleared her throat. "When I was, um, unconscious. I was with Selene and she said it was a vampire." Dawn told them. She decided not to add Selene's distaste for vampires.

Elena let Dawn's words sink in before turning to Damon. "You didn't know him?"

The vampire snorted. "If I've never met him, I wouldn't know him. I mean, it's not like we all hang out together at the Vamp Bar and Grill." Dawn giggled at this, making both Elena and Damon smile.

 **…**

"Uh… Dude."

Matt looked up, just about to take his shoot when Tyler's voice irrupted him. In front of him, Tyler's gaze was on something behind him as the Grill door rang, indicating someone was walking in. Furrowing his brows, Matt turned to see what Tyler was looking at.

The blond football player's confusion dropped as he looked at the two figures. Caroline was with another guy. They were standing pretty close and both were laughing as they headed to a table. Matt frowned. Sure, he was still getting over Elena, but he liked Caroline and hoped it would go somewhere.

"Who is that?" Matt asked slowly.

Hesitating, Tyler rubbed the back of his neck. Matt wasn't the sort of guy to go up to someone and punch them, he was more of a 'complain and cry' guy. His best friend wore his heart on his sleeve and that frightened Tyler. He didn't want Matt hurt again, like he had been when Elena broke up with him. "That's Dawn Ellis' step brother… Abraham."

Matt relaxed and turned back to face Tyler. "Oh! That's why she's with him. They're not like, on a date or anything. They're probably just talking about Dawn, or something like that."

The un-triggered werewolf kept his gaze on the due who were now sitting pretty close. "Uh… Matt."

Once again, Matt span around to see Caroline laughing loudly. She had placed a hand on the man, who must have been in his mid-twenties, which was a lot older than Caroline. "Or not."

Tyler glanced between them before placing his cue on the table. "Let's go over."

His best friend turned to him, his eyes wide. "What?"

"C'mon. We can't let him mack on your girl."

Shaking his head, Matt frowned. "She's technically not my girl."

Tyler just rolled his eyes. "C'mon."

 **…**

The rest of the car journey consisted of Dawn sticking her head out the window, Elena moaning to Damon and Damon ignoring Elena by turning the radio volume up. Despite the dreaded nausea, Dawn's was extremely happy. She had never been on holiday, nor had she been out of Mystic Falls before, so being in Georgia really excited her.

When she had told Damon this, he quickly swirled the car around and took a different route to the bar, meaning they'd be able to drive through Atlanta city. It had been quite a shock to Dawn. After all, she had never seen so many people. But it was nice and Dawn seemed to be enjoying herself, unlike Elena. who was still sulking in the backseat. Every time they drove past a sky scraper, Dawn would stick her head so far out the window her butt was in the air and point at the building. She was acting adorable, but also giving him a good view. It was a shame that Elena wasn't enjoying herself like Dawn was.

As Damon rounded a corner, Dawn noticed a sign in the distance. "Here we are." He cheered, causing Dawn to crane her neck out the window.

Arching a brow, Elena looked at the building as Damon pulled into a parking lot. A bar. Surely Damon hadn't drove all this way to go to a bar. "Where are we? You brought us to a bar? Damon, we're not old enough. Dawn's pregnant. They're not going to let us in." Elena exclaimed.

Rolling his eyes, the vampire climbed out the car and went around the other side. As he opened Dawn's door for her, he looked at Elena. "Sure they will."

Unbuckling her seatbelt, Dawn scrambled out the cars, her legs numb as she stretched. Sending Damon a smile, she thanked him for holding the door open before standing to the side as Elena climbed out.

When Elena had finally stopped pouting, Damon lead them into the bar. Dawn was bouncing on the balls of her feet while Elena was trudging along in front of Dawn. Upon walking into the bar, Dawn eyes scanned the place in awe. It was very pretty and modern. There was a lot of light, the walls were simply bricked, there must have been at least six pool tables and a large bar. As she looked around the bar, a warm feeling flooded over her. A feeling she had discovered she got around witches.

"No. No, it can't be. Damon. My honey pie."

Both Elena and Dawn whirled round to see a woman jump off the bar top and pounce on Damon. The rather tall woman with wild black hair grabbed Damon's face and kissed him. Dawn frowned at this, a twinge of hurt gathering in her stomach. But Damon wasn't 'hers' just because she may have had a stupid crush on him. He was single and very attractive. He also deserved better than a knocked up whore like herself.

"Listen up everybody! Here's to the man that broke my heart, crushed my soul, destroyed my life, and ruined any and all chances of happiness!" She turned back to the bar, laying out glasses as she poured alcohol in a line, filling each shot glass up the rim. "Drink up!" Damon lead the two to the bar and took his shot.

Dawn shifted uncomfortably as everyone but Elena and herself drank their shot. "Ahh. Whoo! So honey pie, what are you-" She cut herself off when she noticed the blonde whose body was hid behind the counter. A warm feeling, a feeling she had never experienced before, flowed through her body. It was as if her magic was bubbling within her. It was the best feeling she had ever felt.

Once again, the pregnant blonde shifted awkwardly as the woman gazed wide eyed at her. Noticing this, Damon chuckled. "Bree this is Dawn, she's mother nature."

The witch's eyes widened as she rushed around the bar. She was so focused on Dawn's presence, she completely missed Dawn's bump.

Both Damon and Elena watched in surprise as Bree dropped to her knee's in front of the blonde. "The dreams. The spirits said mother nature had arisen. But… I never thought mother nature, _the mother nature,_ would be in my bar." Bree exclaimed, her eyes wide as she still sat at Dawn's feet.

It seemed that Dawn was beyond uncomfortable as she bit her lower lip. "Uh, hi… It's nice to meet you." Dawn mentally face-palmed. "S-Sorry. I'm new to this."

Bree's lips curved into a large grin. "This is… Unbelievable. Can I get you anything at all? I'll do anything? Spells, rituals, get you something to eat or drink? Anything." Damon smirked at this. Perfect. He knew bringing Dawn along wouldn't only be enjoyable, but it would be handy.

"I'm fine. Thank you." Dawn smiled, growing more comfortable by the second. Maybe it was because of her mother nature 'motherly' instincts.

Holding out a hand, Dawn smiled. Bree looked at the hand, wide eyed. Trembling from excitement and nervousness, Bree took Dawn's hand and pulled herself up.

"Sorry. I'mma need a few seconds to recover." Bree exclaimed, making Dawn giggle.

 **…**

"No way!" Caroline exclaimed, shaking her head as she grinned.

Nodding, Abraham smiled. "Yeah! I told him it was a stupid idea, but he did it anyways. And next thing he knows, he's in the lake." Caroline let out another laugh, causing Abraham to blush.

He'd never been on a date before and the girl opposite him was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. So it was pretty intimidating for him. Caroline Forbes looked as if she had just walked off the catwalk or even off a page of one of those magazines she seemed to love. She was perfect.

Before he could continue, someone cleared their throat. Looking up, Abraham raised his brow in surprise when he noticed a blond guy staring down at him. Beside him was Tyler, the toga from the party. Caroline's grin faltered when she noticed the sad expression on Matt's face.

"Matt…" Caroline trailed off, causing Abraham to frown in confusion.

Looking back at Tyler, Abraham sent him a smile. "Hey, Tyler."

The tanned teen nodded awkwardly. "Uh, hey. This is my best friend, Matt." Tyler introduced. The blond's gaze turned to him as Abraham sent him a friendly smile. "Nice to meet you. You guys are friends with my step-sister, right? Dawn."

"I guess." Matt replied before clearing his throat. "I'll see you around, Care." Before she could protest, Matt walked away, causing Tyler to follow him.

As the two high school football players walked away from the table, Tyler frowned. "What was that?"

"What?"

Tyler scoffed, shaking his head. He pointed his arm at the table where Caroline and Abraham were talking. " _That!_ You made out like you were gonna' sort Abraham out and then you walked away."

Sighing, Matt turned to his best friend. "He seemed like a nice guy. If he was acting like a jackass, then I could have hit him. But hitting a nice guy like that? That would sure impress Caroline." Matt replied.

"Well, if you ask me, **_he seems a little too nice_**."

 **…**

After Bree composed herself, she quickly ushered to the bar to find her most expensive alcohol. Before Dawn could protest, claiming she couldn't drink and it wasn't necessary, Damon had cut her off. He really wanted that posh alcohol. The pregnant blonde was currently sandwiched between Damon and Elena as they sat on the tall bar stools. Clearing her throat, Elena spoke up as Bree undid the bottle and laid out four shot glasses.

"So, you're a… Y'know." Elena trailed off, making Bree chuckle.

Pouring the liquid into the glasses, she smiled. "A witch, yes. All of it because of that beauty right there." Bree pointed at Dawn, who flushed under the attention.

Once the shot glasses were filled to the rim, she placed the bottle aside and pushed the glasses forward. "To mother!" She cheered, "Drink up." She encouraged as she tilted her head back and allowed the shot to slide down her throat. Damon followed in pursuit before Elena gave into peer pressure and drank the shot.

It was just Dawn's shot on the table left. "Drink up, mother."

The blonde shifted before standing on the footrest of the bar stool, meaning Bree could see her stomach. "Sorry, I'm pregnant." Dawn mumbled, her cheeks still flushed.

Bree's eyes widened as she reached out and touched Dawn's stomach. "Nature's child… In my bar!" She cheered as Damon quickly swallowed Dawn's shot without anyone noticing. "Do you know what it is?"

Nodding, Dawn sent the witch a smile before sitting back in her seat. "A boy."

"Nature's son in my bar with mother nature. I'm so gonna' have to tell the other witches this!" Bree explained, making Dawn's lips curve into a playful smile. She quite liked the witch, she seemed nice.

While Dawn sat back down, Elena cleared her throat. "Okay. So, how did you two meet?"

Directing her attention away from Dawn, rather reluctantly, Bree looked towards the doppelgänger. "College."

Turning to Damon, Dawn raised a brow, her voice soft. "You went to college?"

He sent her a smile. "I've been on a college campus, yes."

Bree chuckled at this. "About twenty years ago, when I was a sweet, young freshman, I met this beautiful man, and I fell in love. And then he told me about his little secret, made me love him more. Because, you see, I had a little secret of my own that I was dying to share with somebody. I was a witch." She paused, a smile on her face, almost as if she was reliving her memories. "Changed my world, you know."

Damon smirked. "I rocked your world."

The pregnant blonde's eyes widened as her cheeks flushed. Damon watched in amusement as she placed her hands over her ears. However, the amusement was short-lived when he noticed the pain in her eyes. "He is good in the sack, but mostly he's just a walk away Joe."

 **…**

Stood by Damon's car with Elena by her side, Dawn shifted as the phone rang. She was calling Caroline. Elena had just called Jenna and had decided to wait for Dawn as it was pretty dark outside. " _Hey, Dawnie._ "

"Caroline! Thank god." Dawn sighed when the blonde answered her phone.

The blonde chuckled through the line. " _How's the trip?_ "

"It's, uh." She looked towards Elena. "Fine."

" _You sure? You sound anxious._ "

"I'm fine, Care. Don't worry about it. So what are you up to?"

It had only been a day and Dawn already missed her best friend. The sound of Caroline's voice relaxed her. " _Not much. Uh, if I tell you something, promise you won't get mad, kay?_ "

Dawn furrowed her brows in confusion. "What?"

" _Just promise._ "

"Okay, I promise." Dawn responded.

The cheerleader hesitated for a moment. "I'm on a date with Abraham."

Dawn's blood ran cold. No… No… Not Caroline… "Care. Get home now. Please, leave. Don't go home with him. Just go home where you are safe. Please, please Care!" Her eyes watered as Elena turned to her in confusion.

" _What? What are you on about? You're scaring me, Dawnie…_ "

The pregnant blonde let out a sob. "Get home, please Caroline. Go home now. Please!"

 _"Uh, okay… Are you sure you're okay?_ "

"Just go home, please!"

" _Okay! Okay! I'm going. I'll see you when you get back from your trip, kay'."_ With that Caroline hung up the phone.

Looking at the frightened blonde in concern, Elena held her arms out. "Dawnie? You okay?"

Dawn didn't say anything, she just wiped her eyes and sniffled. When she had stopped crying and there were no tear trails down her face, Dawn pulled away and walked back in the bar.

 **…**

Leaning back against the booth, Damon frowned at the witch. Dawn and Elena were calling Jenna and Caroline, giving him time to talk to Bree without Elena eavesdropping. "Come on, there's gotta be another way."

"After all these years, it's still only Katherine. How do you even know she's still alive?" The woman retorted.

Damon smirked. "Well, you help me get into that tomb, and we'll find out."

The witch let out an irritated sigh. "I already did. Twenty years ago. Remember? Three easy steps: Comet. Crystal. Spell."

"There's a little problem with number two. I don't have the crystal."

"That's it, Damon. There is no other way. It's Emily's spell."

Damon pouted. "What about a new spell with a new crystal that overrides Emily's spell?"

The woman shook her head. "It doesn't work that way, baby. Emily's spell is absolute. You can't get into that tomb."

 **…**

Glancing at the pregnant blonde beside her, Elena frowned in concern. Dawn was acting as if she hadn't just burst into tears. Whatever was upsetting Dawn, Elena would find out. But not yet, not when Damon was there. She'd ask when they got home. It seemed Damon hadn't noticed she was upset and to be honest, if Elena didn't know different, she wouldn't have noticed either. The. blonde was very good at hiding it

In front of the trio was three large plates with burgers and fries. Dawn was hungrily eating her dinner as Elena played with her own food. As Dawn popped a fry in her mouth and licked her fingertips clean from salt, she reached forward and took a small sip of her diet coke. Unlike Damon, who was finishing his bottle of beer, Dawn was on alcohol free drinks. Elena wasn't drinking either.

Clearing her throat, Elena looked towards Damon. "Let's just say that I'm descended from Katherine... Does that make me part vampire?"

Damon looked at her, "Vampires can't procreate." He popped one of his fries into his mouth before smirking. "But we love to try. No, if you were related, it would mean Katherine had a child before she was turned."

"Did Stefan think that he could use me to replace her?"

"Kinda creepy if you ask me." Damon smirked.

Dawn rolled her eyes playfully at this and sent Elena a small smile. "I'm sure that isn't the case, Elena."

The doppelgänger nodded, unconvinced as Dawn pulled the pickle from her burger. Noticing this, Damon looked at her in disbelief. "Come on, what? You don't like pickles? What's wrong with you?"

Crinkling her nose in disgust, Dawn shook her head. "I _used_ to like pickles, but it seems the little one doesn't." Damon's gaze looked at Dawn's stomach, a tenderness in his eyes.

Turning to Damon in confusion, she frowned. "How can you even eat? If technically you're supposed to be..."

Leaning in, Damon smirked. "Dead?" He whispered before letting out a laugh. "It's not such a bad word. As long as I keep a healthy diet of blood in my system, my body functions pretty normally."

Elena looked at him suspiciously while Dawn dipped her fries into ketchup. "This nice act. Is any of it real?"

Before he could respond, Bree interrupted, passing Damon a new beer. "Here you go."

"Thank you."

The doppelgänger looked at the beer, hesitating. Dawn absent-mindedly drank the remains of her diet coke before pushing the glass aside gently. "I'll have one too." Elena said.

Damon raised a brow at this, surprised. "Hmm?"

"Time out, remember? For five minutes? Yeah, well that five minutes is going to need a beer."

Bree smiled at this and handed Elena a beer. "There you go."

Clearing her throat awkwardly, Dawn raised her hand, much like a small child would in school. "Uh, can I have another diet coke, please?" Dawn asked sheepishly, causing both Elena and Damon to snort in amusement.

 **…**

As Elena, Damon, Bree and some of her local customers took shots at the bar, Dawn sat beside them, eating the slice of chocolate cake Bree had brought her. So while everyone else was consuming alcohol, falling off their chairs and running to the toilets to puke, Dawn was eating chocolate cake. She was the only sober person in the bar, well, except Bree who was pretending to act drunk.

"Ready... Go!" Bree cheered as everyone picked up a shot. Elena speedily downed her shot, clapped her hands and did a little dance. Dawn smiled in amusement at this.

Looking towards Damon, the doppelgänger smirked when she noticing the alcohol running down is chin. "That's three! Aw, do you need a bib?" She teased.

Damon scowled, wiping his chin. "Sorry I can't unhinge my jaw like a snake to consume alcohol." He replied, making Elena laugh.

Unfazed by the comment, she smirked. "Whatever. All right. Who's next? Another round, Bree." The woman glanced at Dawn and placed the bottle down. She waved another bartender over. "Here, Kayley's taking over." With that, Bree walked away from the group and went and sat opposite Dawn.

"Hey, honey. You okay over here?" Bree asked, sending her a smile as a warmness pulsed through her. Dawn's presence alone was empowering.

Looking up, Dawn wiped some crumbs from the corner of her mouth and sent the witch a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. You don't have to sit with me, you can have fun with them." Dawn told her, motioning to Elena, who was now jumping beside the pool table, her arm in the air.

Bree scoffed and shook her head. "Be with those drunk idiots when _the mother nature_ is in my bar. No way!" Bree exclaimed, making Dawn smile.

"Thanks, I appreciate it."

Before Bree could continue, a man entered the bar. Noticing this, Bree quickly excused herself, claiming she'd be back in a minute and motioned towards Elena and Damon.

 **…**

As she glanced back at pregnant blonde following her, Bree hesitated. The dark haired witch knew Dawn would never let Damon die. For some reason, mother nature seemed to like Damon and judging from the way Dawn acted around Damon, she had a crush on the vampire. As much as she wanted to please her mother, Bree knew what she had to do. She was not only acting in Lexi's defence, she was acting to protect mother and her child.

If Damon opened the tomb, it would not only be dangerous for Dawn and her baby, but Dawn's friends too. She was doing this to help Dawn, even if mother. This would please mother in the long-term. Motioning for the pregnant woman to follow her, she lead Dawn to the backroom without Damon or Elena noticing.

As soon as they were inside the backroom, Bree pressed a cloth to her Dawn's mouth. The blonde struggled, but was forced to inhale the strong smelling clothe. As Dawn's body went limp, Bree placed her on the couch. She ran a hand through Dawn's locks before frowning.

The small amount on the clothe wasn't enough to cause Dawn's baby to have birth defects, it would simply knock her out while Lee killed Damon.

"I'm sorry, mother. She was my friend and he will end up hurting you too."

 **…**

Groaning, Dawn woke up to the soft purring of Damon's 1967, Chevy convertible. Letting out an inaudible moan, the blonde leaned forward, letting out a cough as she disorientatedly looked around, her eyes squinted as she looked at the lean figure beside her. The leather clad man was sat in the drivers seat, his hands on the wheel as music at a low volume flooded out the speakers.

"D-Damon?" Dawn mumbled as his gaze snapped towards her and away from the road. Tensing, he quickly pulled the car over and cupped her cheeks. "Dawnie? How you feeling?"

As he ran his fingers across her red cheeks, Elena leaned forward, frowning in concern. "Dawn, you okay? Can you remember what happened?"

The blonde blinked, shaking her head as she looked at Damon. "My head hurts, and so does my tummy." She moaned. It wasn't the same pain she had felt during her threatened miscarriage, which was a huge relief, it was more of a once a month stomach ache.

Damon nodded, taking in her unnaturally flushed yet blotchy cheeks. "It's side affects from the chloroform. You'll be fine, if they don't ware off in the next couple of hours, your body will heal you." Damon responded, his voice soft as his posture tensed. He could feel Elena's eyes boring into the back of his skull.

With her hands resting on her bump, the girl frowned. "She... She drugged me..." Dawn mumbled in realisation. Bree, she had lead Dawn into the back room and drugged her. "Why?"

Looking over to Damon, her eyes stopped on the sight of his hands. Dried blood was spotted on his hands. Elena hesitated, but when Damon nodded, she began to explain how Bree had betrayed them and almost got Damon killed.

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 **First of all, I'm really, really sorry for how long this took to upload. I am really sorry everyone. I hope this chapter makes up for it as it had some of Dawn's mother and DamonXDawnie fluff. Also, I have had my nails done and I'm still getting used to typing in fake nails, so I'm slower than usual, lol. P.S; Sorry for my awful editing in this chapter as I wanted to get this up as quick as possible.**

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 **In response to:**

 **BrittStar1199** : Most of them will! Except Greta Martin (the witch who helps Klaus), the travelers and Kai. I'm glad your liking Dawn and Damon together! And yeah, they will eventually have sex (when Dawn isn't pregnant) but they will have to get together and bring up rather traumatic things in order to get to both a relationship and a physical relationship. Thank you for your constant string of lovely reviews!

 **KEZZ 1:** Aw, I'm glad you're enjoying it and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for reviewing!

 **Selyne Nightshade** : That's so sweet! Thank you for reading this! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! Thanks for the lovely review.

 **Sbritt264** : Haha, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for the review.

 **Adela** : Don't worry, Dawn and her little boy are perfectly fine! Although it seems it isn't a good week for Dawn first her threatened miscarriage and then getting into a car crash, poor Dawn can't get a break! Thanks for reviewing.

 **Somebodywhocares** : I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the review.

 **Gracfully** : Awe, thank you, and for reviewing too!

 **Guest** : That is so sweet! Thank you and for reviewing too!

 **GhostlySights** : HA HA! Evil minx? I don't know why that made me laugh so much! And true, Damon was being Damon but Dawn is way too emotionally and physically damaged for that sort of talk! Thanks for reviewing.

 **Guest** : Thank you, it means a lot to receive such nice comments! Thank you for the kind comment, love

 **PirateWizardThief** : Aw, thank you and if you ever want trade spoilers for 'Surrender' for 'We Might Fall' spoilers, message me;D. Dawn doesn't completely trust Damon as she doesn't entirely trust most men. Not even Matt, who Caroline is 'dating'. Caroline will make a great godmother and she will spoil the little boy rotten! Thanks for the sweet review.

 **Gabriellaaarega1** : No problem! If you have any more about anything, feel free to send them too me in either messages or preferably a review. Thanks for reviewing!

 **Rukoitalian** : Omg, haha. Thanks for reviewing.

 **Galwidanatitud** : Good idea, although we may have to tie Dawnie to the bed! You get the rope, ill distract Dawnie! Thanks for the review, lol.

 **123456789** : I'm glad you enjoyed them! Just a warning, there will be a couple of obstacles in the way before they can get into a relationship, but them kissing may come quicker than you expect! Thanks for the constant string of supportive reviews.

 **HPuni101** : Don't worry, this story is pregnancy based so I would never kill the baby off, but also for Dawn. I don't think Caroline or Dawn would recover from that, if it happened. So I can assure you, no matter what, baby Ellis will be fine:)! Nothing about the baby's father has been revealed, the odd clues but look out for the red herring, if you know what I mean;). I wasn't actually sure what Dawn was going to be in till chapter eight, I think, maybe a little later, but the idea just came to me and it was something I never had come across in a fanfiction before. Interesting fact; Dawn was originally going to be elemental nymph. Thanks for reviewing.

 **Guest** : The reason I 'put Dawn I danger' is because based on Dawn's character, she wouldn't be able to just sit back when her friends are in danger:). Also, I have to keep in the series' plot in mind and interpret Dawn into that, while also being mindful of her character and what she would do. I personally love Elena and I know a lot of fans don't like her and I find in most fanfictions, they write her OOC, making her mean and bitchy when Elena is known for being kind and selfless. I know not everyone loves her, but based on Dawn's personality, Dawn would be friends with Elena as they are similar in some ways. And who doesn't love Care-Bear;D? Thanks for reviewing.

 **AwesomeGirl45** : I'm glad you're enjoying it! Thanks for the review.

 **Guest** : My chapters are averagely 10,000 words and I update weekly. Most fanfictions update weekly with 1,000-2,000 words. My chapters take long to write and edit (I don't have a BETA) but also I'm an apprentice hairdresser so I work four days a week and am at college for one day, meaning I don't have the time to write 20,000 words in two days to keep ahead of schedule. I could split my chapters into 5,000 words an update twice, but if I was a reader I'd prefer to have one big chapter rather than two small ones. I hope you understand:) and don't think I was ranting or whatever at you, because I honestly wasn't:). Thank you and thanks for reviewing! I'll take the two chapters into consideration:D.

 **Tay927** : The father will be revealed later. Thanks for reviewing.

 **Anna.B** : Thank you! Dawn needs the moments of normalcy in her life, lol, what with her being mother nature and surrounded by witches, vampires and doppelgängers! Remember Dawn wasn't at her full power when she befriended Bonnie and Elena! Dawn will be conflicted with the originals. Part of her will feel something towards Klaus (due to his constant flirting), Bekah and Elijah, but the other half would remind her that they were born out of dark magic, her powers that were used wrongly by Esther. As to witches, vampires are abominations, a crime against mother nature. Klaus will feel threatened at first, but he will want her on his side as she is the key to controlling not only witches, but the entire existence! He will also be drawn to her innocence and will be able to connect to her in a way that isn't revealed. Thanks for the constant reviews!

 **Guest:** Haha, thank you!

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 **PLEASE REVIEW IF YOU WANT MORE, AS ME UPDATING ALWAYS DEPENDS ON FEEDBACK.**


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